


In Heat

by EikaTsukiyomi



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chloe Bougeois Redemption, F/M, Feline tendencies, Hawk Moth Redemption, Identity Reveal, Intimacy, Lust, Masturbation, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mutual Masturbation, NSFW, Pheromones, Reveal, Romance, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Frustration, Sexual Tension, Sexual exploration, Slow Burn, Smut, Wet Dream, sin - Freeform, soul mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2018-10-29 17:36:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 86,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10858809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EikaTsukiyomi/pseuds/EikaTsukiyomi
Summary: It’s the one-year anniversary of when Ladybug and Chat Noir received their powers, and Marinette learns from Tikki that it marks the beginning of the mating cycle: for the next 30 days, Ladybug and Chat Noir will be drawn to each other by powerful pheromones generated by their miraculouses.  The more time they spend in each other’s presence, the stronger the effects will become, until they risk being completely overcome with lust.And so, Ladybug and Chat Noir have little choice but to brace themselves for what is bound to be a month of intense sexual tension and frustration...but what they don’t know is that they unknowingly cross paths almost every day, and so not even their kwamis can prepare them for how profoundly their heats will affect them.  Will their partnership survive if they give in to temptation?And what will happen when Hawk Moth figures out what’s going on?





	1. Last Day Of Summer

**Author's Note:**

> The legal age of consent in France is 15 years old. I've aged Marinette and Adrien up a year from their canon ages (13-14), and this story is set almost exactly one year after "Origins" in addition, which puts Marinette/Ladybug and Adrien/Chat Noir around 15-16 years old.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the last the day of summer break, and Hawk Moth's latest supervillain, Summer Fae, is out to make sure that school never starts again! Just another mission for Ladybug and Chat Noir...except this time, Chat Noir puts his knowledge of popular anime to good use to help Ladybug capture the akuma, and puts in a little extra effort to make sure one anxious middle-schooler's first back to school is a little easier. Curious how Chat Noir pulled off his little scheme, Ladybug takes some extra time to hang out and chat and finds herself troubled by nagging feelings for her partner that have only started creeping up on her over the summer. For Chat Noir, it's just a bonus dose of Ladybug after this latest mission, and it seems a fitting prologue to the anniversary of the day they first met.

##  Chapter 1:  Last Day Of Summer

_Thursday, August 31st_

Marinette had never looked forward to the first day of a school year, and she was pretty sure she was in the majority; did anyone look forward to the end of summer break?  Even so, dreading the coming of September 1st so much that it caught Hawk Moth’s attention and got you akumatized?  This seemed a bit much…

“Now that I’m here,” proclaimed the supervillain calling herself “Summer Fae,” “Nobody ever has to go to school again!  I’m going to make today--the last day of summer break--last forever!”

She looked to be a girl in middle-school, with her long auburn hair tied back in a wild ponytail and decorated with a crown of flowers.  She was dressed in an orange sundress decorated with fresh green leaves and miniature sunflowers, and she had wings like that of a fairy and was armed with a scepter wrapped in vines.  She didn’t seem to be carrying a grudge against anyone, nor did she seem resentful of society in general, and so she wasn’t particularly aggressive, but she was under Hawk Moth’s control, and so, sooner or later, she would be coming after Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s miraculouses.

Ladybug’s Lucky Charm had turned out to be a red-and-black-spotted replica of Chat Noir’s ring, and she hadn’t known what to do with it except put it on, but Chat Noir had taken a long, thoughtful look at it, and then taken off, seemingly inspired, and leaving Ladybug completely baffled.  He was now across the street, perched on the edge of the school roof on all fours, like the cat he loved to be.

“Okay, but can you be more specific?” Chat Noir called, addressing Summer Fae.  “Is today gonna last forever ‘cause the sun will never go down?  Or will today keep repeating without the date changing?”

“Why, do you have a preference?” Summer Fae asked.

“Does it matter?!” Ladybug yelled, glaring at Chat Noir from her position.  Why hadn’t he let her in on his plan? 

“Absolutely!” he yelled back.  He turned his head to address Summer Fae again.  “If you never let night come, you’ll never have another sleepover!  Or see the fireworks at midnight on Bastille Day! Or go on moonlit walks with your true love!”

Ladybug couldn’t decide whether to be surprised or not that Chat Noir was the type to like moonlit walks with his significant other.  She filed that intriguing detail away to think about later.

“Oh, well, don’t worry about that!” Summer Fae said cheerfully, waving a hand.  “Summer nights _are_ nice, even if they aren’t as fun as summer days, in my opinion.  We’ll all get an infinite number of days of summer to do whatever we want with!”

“But is it gonna be like Groundhog Day?” Chat Noir wanted to know.  “Is the same day gonna repeat over and over and over, with everyone doing exactly the same things every time?”

“No, of course not!” Summer Fae cried, pressing a hand to her heart in horror.  “What would be the point of that?!  No, it’s just gonna be a beautiful summer day every day, with no more school!”

“Ah, okay, glad we straightened that out,” Chat Noir said, nodding in satisfaction.  “It sounds like, out of all the ways you could have planned this, you’re doing it the way I would, too!”

“Aw, thank you!” Summer Fae said, beaming.  “You know, Chat Noir, you seem like a really nice guy…if you and Ladybug give me your miraculouses instead of starting a fight with me, I’d love to go on a...a” 

She couldn’t see from here, but it sounded like Summer Fae was probably _blushing_.

“...a _moonlit walk_ with...with y-y-y- _you_ …!”

 _Is this for real?_   Ladybug marveled, slapping a palm to her forehead.

Chat Noir straightened in surprise.  Then he raised a hand to rub the back of his head.

“Uh, gee, that’s...very, very flattering, mademoiselle!  I must say, you’re the first supervillain to pay me such a glowing compliment!”

“So, what do you say?” Summer Fae asked excitedly.

Ladybug resisted the urge to demand of Chat Noir where the hell he was going with this.  He definitely seemed to have a strategy in mind, and she just hadn’t caught on, yet.  He wasn’t _usually_ the one to direct the action, but not because he wasn’t smart.  She decided to just keep her eyes open and see where this went.

“Alas, a cat has much more pride than to let himself be wooed by sweet words,” Chat Noir answered dramatically.  “But I’ll tell you a secret…”

He gestured for Summer Fae to approach.  Ladybug gaped at him.

 _Is THAT how he expects to get the object with the akuma in it?!  Seduce the supervillain?!  He’s gonna make a fool of himself...although I will admit, I would be VERY_ _impressed if it worked...also a little weirded out, though.  IF, just IF there’s a chance he could pull this off, I’d blow the whole thing if I interfered...but maybe I can position myself to be backup if his plan doesn’t work…_

Summer Fae appeared to be approaching Chat Noir, albeit hesitantly.  Ladybug quietly jumped down from her perch and started making her way sneakily towards the school.  She took the long way around the side of the building, and began climbing as quickly but quietly as she could. 

_Easy does it…_

As she approached the edge of the roof, she could hear Summer Fae’s voice...sounding strained and panicky?

“No, wait!  Wait, please!  If I can free him, he’ll give me his miraculous!  And he’ll get us Ladybug’s!  We won’t even have to fight them!  We’ll all get what we want!”

 _“Free him”?  He’ll_ give _you his miraculous?  And mine?  What is happening?_

She hoisted herself up to peek up over the edge. 

 

Summer Fae was on her knees, eyes screwed shut, gripping the sides of her head like she was suffering a migraine.  Chat Noir was--strangely--sprawled out on his side right next to her, propped up on an elbow and supporting his head on a fist.  He could have been lounging on the beach, except he was eyeing Summer Fae with a look of mingled confusion and concern.

_She must talking to Hawk Moth...Is this our chance?  Why is Chat Noir just lying there?!_

Just then, Chat Noir caught sight of Ladybug; his eyes gleamed with confidence and he flashed his trademark smirk at her.  In the same second, she returned the look; she knew that look:  it said, _Victory’s ours, my Lady_.

With that, Chat Noir snatched the flower crown off Summer Fae’s head and tossed it to Ladybug.  She tossed it easily with one hand and used her teeth to tear it in two. 

“No more making mischief for you, little akuma!”

The akuma emerged, and Ladybug dropped to ground and whipped out her yo-yo, capturing the black butterfly with practiced ease and purifying it.

“Bye-bye, little butterfly!”

With a cry of, “Miraculous Ladybug!”, she threw her Lucky Charm into the air, and a burst of magical ladybugs erupted into the sky, reversing the invisible spell of Summer Fae’s that would have prevented September 1st from ever coming.

She leapt back up onto the school roof where Chat Noir was talking to the girl who had been Summer Fae up until just a moment ago.

“Well...I’m glad I didn’t do anything,” she was murmuring, “But it’s already mid-afternoon, and tomorrow, I’m going back to school!  I don’t want to…”  She sounded close to tears.

Ladybug wanted to sit with them and hear the girl’s story--maybe it would help make sure she didn’t get akumatized _again_ \--but she needed to go.  Her earrings beeped, reminding her that she had four minutes before she turned back into Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

_But...I’d REALLY love to know how Chat Noir’s plan worked...and how did he know it was her flower crown that had the akuma in it?  I thought for sure it would be her scepter…_

“Hey, Chat Noir, I gotta bug out; I’m about to detransform.  But if you hang around, I’d...actually like to hear how you pulled this thing off!  Make sure she gets down safely, and I’ll see you soon?”

Chat Noir’s eyes lit up with excitement at her proposal.  He gave her a two-finger salute and a jaunty grin.

“Leave it to me, my Lady!  I shall eagerly await your return!”

She nodded, leaping off the school rooftop and swinging her way over the Parisian cityscape.

Chat Noir watched her go, then turned back to the young girl.

“What’s your name?” he asked kindly.

“Um, Aimee…” she timidly replied.

“Aimee...it suits you, since you seem to be quite the romantic type!”  He flashed her his encouraging Adrien Agreste smile.

“Uh, thanks!  I guess so,” she murmured.  She blushed and smiled shyly.

“So, what is it about going back to school that’s upsetting you?” he asked.  “It must be pretty bad if it caught Hawk Moth’s attention.”

Aimee took a deep breath and sighed sadly. 

“Last year, these two girls in my class started picking on me.  They point all the ways I’m not pretty enough to ever get a boyfriend, and they leave nasty messages in my locker and on my desk.  They make every day miserable for me...so I’ve been dreading the first day back to school all month long…”

“That...sounds really rough.  I’m sorry…”  Chat Noir smiled sympathetically and patted Aimee’s shoulder.  “I admit I’ve never been bullied at school myself, so I don’t really know what it’s like, but I’ll say this:  if no boys were interested in you because you weren’t pretty enough for them, then they don’t sound worth dating anyway.  A real gentleman will love you because he thinks you’re amazing inside and out, so don’t feel like you have to settle for anything less, okay?”

Aimee’s cheeks glowed, and she smiled tremulously.

“You really think so?” she asked shyly.  “I hope you’re right…”

“One more thing!” Chat Noir added brightly.  “Do you have a smartphone?”

“Uh, yeah…?”  Aimee fidgeted until she had dug out her phone from her pants pocket.  “Why?”

“Take a selfie with me!” he chirped, scooting up next to her.  “The next time those girls give you a hard time, tell them Chat Noir’s got your back, and show ‘em our selfie to prove it!”

“R-really?!  A-Are you serious?!”  Aimee fumbled clumsily with her phone in her excitement.

“Yeah!”  Chat Noir leaned in as Aimee readied her phone.  “Now smile like you just got a kitten for your birthday!”

Aimee laughed giddily, and snapped the picture.

“There we go!”  Chat Noir grinned as Aimee beamed at the picture, then glanced back at him.

“I love it!  Thank you, Chat Noir!”  She hugged her phone tight to her chest.  “I’ll treasure it always!”

“You’re welcome!”  Chat Noir stood up and helped Aimee to her feet.  “Let’s get you back to solid ground, shall we?”    

~

After dropping down into a narrow alleyway to feed Tikki a cookie, Marinette transformed into Ladybug again and headed back to where she had left Chat Noir.  Neither he nor the young girl were there any more, of course, but she knew, wherever Chat Noir was, he would see her up here...or _she_ would see _him_ nearby.  Sure enough, she caught sight of him on top of a building to her left out of the corner of her eye.  She turned and headed straight for him as soon as she caught his eye.

As soon as she reached him, she gestured to him to sit next to her against a chimney so as to be less visible from the street below.  She didn’t want to risk attracting an admiring crowd when she just wanted a nice, quiet talk with her partner.  They rarely had opportunities like this.

“I’m back!” she announced, sitting down.  “So, how is she?  The girl?”

“She’s fine!” Chat Noir replied proudly.  “Apparently she’s been being bullied a lot at school, so she was really dreading going back.  I let her take a selfie with me so she could tell her bullies I’ve got her back!”

“That’s nice of you,” Ladybug said, smiling.  “I just hope people don’t start picking on her next because they’re jealous she got a picture with you.”

“Well, then, you and me will just have to pay her school a visit and tell those girls we’re _very_ disappointed in them!” he responded, crossing his arms and giving a self-satisfied nod.

“We don’t have much time to spare for personally checking up on Hawk Moth’s victims,” Ladybug pointed out, “But you did good, _chaton_!”  She stroked his head as if she were petting a cat.

“Mmm, thanks!” he purred, letting himself nuzzle his head into her hand just a little bit.

“So, tell me what you were thinking with that seductive scheme of yours,” she said.  “I’ll admit I’m impressed that it worked, but it was awfully risky.  And how did you know it was her flower crown and not her scepter that had the akuma in it?”

“Well, I couldn’t think what the scepter could’ve been if _that_ was the object,” Chat Noir said, “But I _just_ so happened to recognize what the flower crown was:  See, there’s this anime that really popular right now, about a magical girl with, like, the power to make plants grow really fast and strong, and she has to defeat this evil wizard who’s plunged the world into an eternal winter--”

“Ahem, Chat Noir?  The flower crown?”

“Heh-heh, sorry!  Anyway, she wears a flower crown _exactly_ like the one Summer Fae did, and you can buy replicas of it online and at conventions, but of course, the flowers are fake and not as pretty and realistic as real flowers would be.  _So_ , coupled with the theme of Summer Fae’s costume, I figured she was a big fan of the show, and had a replica flower crown that turned into the real thing when she was akumatized!”

Ladybug blinked at him for a moment, impressed with his impromptu detective work, and a little surprised but amused that he know a lot about anime.

 

“Wow…” she muttered.  “But, what about that whole, ‘Come here and I’ll tell you a secret’ scheme?”

“Ah, that...well…”  He suddenly looked sheepish and scratched the back of his head.  “I figured she might be _just_ young enough and into the show enough that, with the mindset of a supervillain with magical powers rather than, you know, a normal girl, I could convince her that I had a spell on me and that, if she broke it, she could have our miraculouses because she...had earned my loyalty and affections…?”

Ladybug narrowed her eyes at him. 

_‘Loyalty and affections’?  ‘Affections’?!  That...makes me feel...off, for some reason..._

“Okay, you’re gonna have to explain what you mean by that,” she said, raising an eyebrow and smirking wryly at him.

Chat Noir eyed her warily with the expression of a shamefaced dog that had been caught with his face in the garbage bin.

“Erm...okay, so…keep in mind, I was _totally_ just trying to play the part and lure her in--”

“Now you just sound even shiftier,” she cut in.  “Should I be worried?”

“What?  Worried?  Naw, not at all!  I just…!  Okay, so, what I told her was, ‘A cat’s affections can be won only if he’s pampered the right way,” and that if she, uh, basically won over the cat in me, she could break the spell on my miraculous that prevented me from taking it off or disobeying you...and then I’d basically be ‘ _her_ kitty’ and I’d fight on her side.”

Ladybug had no idea how to feel about this...heartstring-pulling scheme of his.  She supposed it had been a simple matter of trying to trick the supervillain to get the object without even having to start a fight.  But to _sweet-talk_ the supervillain and... What had she tried to _do_ to earn his “affections”?

“Uh...okay…” she said slowly.  “So...sounds like she fell for it…?”

“Well, yeah…” he answered hesitantly.  “She, uh...scratched behind my ears…?”

Ladybug felt her jaw clench and her brow furrow before she could even label the emotional response behind it.  She took a breath and tried to instantly relax her face, but he had already been watching her for her reaction, and he saw it.

“Hey, _Buginette_ …” he murmured in a comforting voice.  “You don’t have to feel jealous…”

“Wh-who said I was _jealous_?” she yelped, trying for force her amused-face back on.  “D-do I _look_ jealous?”

“I meant, _if_ you feel jealous, you don’t have to!  I assure you, I only _pretended_ to enjoy it!  Now, if it had been _you_ , _Buginette_ …”  He trailed off suggestively, but he was blushing and grinning bashfully.

And, goddammit, was _she_ blushing, now, too?!

 _He_ really _needs to stop accidently being...cute…_

Sometime during the last month or so (Just because school was out didn’t mean Hawk Moth had been vacation), Ladybug had started to notice two things:  First, Chat Noir seemed to have matured somewhat, in that he wasn’t showing off as often in his attempts to impress her; and second, that she had started to catch herself reacting differently than usual to little things he did.  She couldn’t always brush off his jaunty banter and lame puns with smooth comebacks and banter of her own anymore.  Sometimes she found herself stunned momentarily by a blinding grin, or a casual touch, or an off-hand compliment, or a warm smile of raw adoration that, once, she caught him shooting when he thought her back was turned.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t known before that he could be as sincere as he could be playful; she just never thought she would see so much of it all at once.  It made her think that, maybe, there was a lot more of that warmth under the surface.  These days, she often found herself wanting to look for that warmth...to get to know that side of him even more.

Also, it didn’t help that he seemed to have gone through a growth spurt over the past couple of months.

“Uh...Ladybug?”

Ladybug jerked back to the present.

“Ah!  S-sorry!  Kinda spaced out there…” she said, grinning sheepishly.

“Uh, okay…” he said, still looking a little concerned.  “So, anyway...that’s how that all happened!”  He crossed his arms and smiled.  “My favorite part was when you read my mind the way you do and finished the deal.”

Ladybug smiled.  He was totally buttering her up, but it was nice to hear, anyway.

“Well, saving the day is what we do!  We’re a team, we know exactly how to work together flawlessly!  _Almost_ all the time, anyway!”

“That we do, my Lady!” he said warmly.

 _There he goes again…_ she thought.  _He could have said that with way too much enthusiasm like he usually does...but he had to say it like...that._

“Yeah…” she murmured.

He just kept looking up at her, smiling, and she did her best to keep her own smile smooth, but she had no idea how he could hold her gaze like that without feeling as nervous and strange as she currently was.  Was it normal to look someone in the eyes for seconds on end?

“Oh!  Hey, I just realized--!”  Chat Noir suddenly seemed excited about something.  He pushed himself to spin and face her.  “Since tomorrow _is_ September 1st, and it’s the first day of school, it’ll be the anniversary of the day we first teamed up!  It’ll be exactly one year since we fought Stoneheart!”

“Oh!  Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she said.  “It’s kind of amazing to think that we’ve been fighting Hawk Moth for an entire year, huh?  I wonder how much longer it’ll be before we find him.”

“Yeah, who knows?”  Chat Noir said, cocking his head thoughtfully.  “Actually, I’m surprised he hasn’t run out of ideas for supervillain identities!”

“I know, right?”  Ladybug laughed.  “I guess whatever it is the person is upset about helps give him ideas.”

“Makes sense,” Chat Noir remarked, nodding.

“You know, speaking of school starting tomorrow…”  Ladybug stood up.  “It’s getting late.  Since I assume _we’ll_ both be going to school tomorrow morning, we could use at least eight hours of sleep.”

“Yeah, you’re right…”  Chat Noir stood up beside her.  “Well, I hope your first day back at school goes smoothly for you, my Lady.”  He turned and took out his baton, getting ready to head off to wherever he lived when he wasn’t helping her fight evil.

“You, too,” Ladybug replied.  She waved, and then turned and took out her yo-yo.  A second later, she was soaring over the rooftops on her way home.

 _I wonder what the odds are that we might go to the same school?_ she found herself thinking briefly.  _I wonder if I’ll ever find out…_


	2. In Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tikki tells Marinette all about Ladybug and Chat Noir's mating cycle, and does her best to be supportive, while Marinette tries (and fails) to not freak out, or think about Chat Noir too much.  
> Plagg describes to Adrien the many symptoms he gets to look forward to over the next month, including sexual frustration and...feline courtship tendencies?! It's almost too much to take in...! But Adrien's also worried for Ladybug's feelings, and how this mating cycle will affect their partnership.

_Wednesday_

As soon as Ladybug dropped down through the trapdoor from the balcony to her room, she released her transformation and descended down the stairs from her bed.  She was just beginning to consider what she wanted to do before dinnertime when Tikki--who had apparently downed another cookie in record time--zoomed up to Marinette’s eye-level to get her attention.

 “Marinette!  I know this is sudden, but I need to explain something really important to you!”

 “Something important?” Marinette echoed questioningly.  She sat down in her chair and swiveled to face Tikki.  “Why, does it have something to do with my miraculous?  I thought you already told me everything I needed to know to be Ladybug.”

 “I told you everything you needed to know up until today, but tomorrow marks exactly one year since you transformed into Ladybug for the first time, and on that day, there’s a spell on your miraculous that activates and remains active for exactly 30 days.  After that, it’ll happen again at the same time as before, each year, until you don’t need to become Ladybug anymore and you stop transforming…Do you understand so far?”

 “Uh...yes, I think so, but what even is this spell?  Why does it have to happen?  Is there a way to break the spell?”

 “No, there’s no way to break it,” Tikki answered seriously.  “There is a reason for it, but it made a lot more sense long ago when it was a lot harder to live to an old age.  Now that people like to think they’ve become...much more civilized...it has the potential to attract a lot of negative attention from people around you.”

 “O...kay…” Marinette said slowly.  “Should I be worried?  I’m really starting to worry...”

 “It’s a good idea to worry a little bit, just to be cautious, but try not to freak out; it won’t do you any good to lose your head over it.  The spell isn’t dangerous to you, or to anyone else...well, there are possible complications that could end up hurting you and Chat Noir, but only if you two are careless.  I’ll support you in every way I can, and I’ll help you minimize the symptoms.”

 “Um, ‘symptoms’?!” Marinette echoed, voice full of dread.  “Tikki, what is going to happen to me?!”

 Tikki sighed.

 “I’m sorry; there’s no way of putting this that won’t really embarrass you and...horrify you a little bit…”

 “Oh god…”  Marinette curled up like a frightened koala in her chair and stared at Tikki in horror.

 “The next time you and Chat Noir transform, your miraculouses will start emitting magic that will act like pheromones that will attract you two to each other.  It starts off very subtly, so you might not even notice it at first, but the more time you two spend in each other’s company, the more quickly the symptoms will develop.  As long as you two keep your heads and resist the temptation to spend more time together, it won’t be too hard on you, just a little frustrating and uncomfortable.  Still with me so far?”

 “Uh, can you repeat the part about pheromones and something about us being attracted to each other?!  Please tell me that doesn’t mean what it sounds like it means!”

 “I’m sorry, Marinette, but it’s exactly what it sounds like.  It’s...basically a magically-induced mating cycle, meant to ensure that, if you and Chat Noir were to die defending humankind against whatever is threatening it, that there will be successors to finish whatever you started.”

 There was a long silence in which Marinette gaped at Tikki in horror.  Her face was the same color pink as her capri jeans.

 “...so it’s going to make us really really really HORNY?!” she squeaked shrilly.  “It’s gonna make we wanna BANG CHAT NOIR?!?!”

 Tikki gazed at Marinette sympathetically, her eyes even bigger and shinier than usual.  Finally, she answered grimly...

 “...later in the cycle, if and when the symptoms develop that far...yes.”

 Marinette’s response, in the tiniest voice to come out of a human being…

 “...fuck.”  Then, in a strangled croak, “Fuck!”

 “I’m sorry, Marinette…” Tikki said sadly.  “I wish I could stop it from happening.”

 “Tikki, help me!!”  she whimpered.  “Please, tell me how to not want to sleep with Chat Noir, I will DIE of shame if I jump his bones because I’m…I’m…!”

 “In heat,” Tikki supplied sympathetically.

 “AAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!”

 “Marinette, what happened?” her mother’s voice called from downstairs.  “Are you alright up there, sweetheart?”

 “Yes, Mom!” Marinette chirped, her voice cracking.  “I just...stabbed myself with my sewing needle!”

 “Okay, well, as soon as you’re bandaged up, come down for dinner, okay?”

 “Okaaayyy!”  Marinette heaved an enormous sigh and stared into space.  There was a slightly demented look frozen on her face, and her head was full of the screams of the damned.

 Marinette sat in silence for a while.  Tikki watched her quietly, waiting patiently in case Marinette wanted her to repeat anything.  She wouldn’t blame Marinette in the slightest if she spent the entire night agonizing over this new development.

 “Well…” Marinette muttered.  “I might as well go down for dinner.  I’ll be back soon…”

 “Okay, Marinette.  I’ll be right here!”

 Marinette stood up and shuffled dejectedly over to her trapdoor, which she opened and descended through to the kitchen where her parents were waiting.

 In spite of the cacophony going on in her brain, she was able to enjoy her food and make enough small talk with her parents to maintain a semblance of sanity.  If she seemed distracted, her parents didn’t call her out on it.  But then again, living a double life as Ladybug made her prone to odd behavior at least twice a day.  Maybe they were desensitized to her weirdness by now.

 “So, Marinette, how are you feeling about tomorrow?” her mother asked kindly.  “There’s a good chance you’ll see a lot of your friends from middle school, so that must be comforting, right?”

 “Oh, it is,” Marinette said, nodding.  “But it also means there’s a chance Chloé might be in my class!  I mean, don’t get me wrong: as long as I get Alya in my class, and maybe a few more other old friends from middle school, it’ll be worth it, but still...I know Chloé couldn’t have changed much over the summer.”

 “Well, it sounds like you know what to focus on more,” her mother remarked, smiling.

 “Even if Chloé never tries to be a better person,” her father piped up, “As you both grow up, rivalries like this will start to seem more and more insignificant.  You’ll both have more important things to pay attention to, like university and your future careers.”

 “I don’t know how much Chloé will care about all that with how rich and spoiled she is, but it’s something, I guess.”

 After dinner, Marinette helped clean up and wash the dishes, though she was in a bit of rush to escape back upstairs.  Even if her parents had no way of knowing what was going on in his head right now, she still felt uncomfortable being in the same room while thinking about everything Tikki had told her.  Once she got back up to her room that she decided to just go straight to bed.  All of this freaking out she was doing was going to make it difficult to fall asleep, she knew, so she figured she might as well get an early start.

 After changing into her pajamas and getting into bed, Tikki flew up from below and landed on her stomach.

 “How are you doing, Marinette?” she asked.

 “I...I don’t know…” Marinette muttered vaguely, staring into space through Tikki’s head.  “I keep trying not to imagine wanting to have sex with Chat Noir, but then I just end up imagining it twice as much...I am terrified at the thought of seeing him again.”

 “You’re not going to feel any different at first, and the symptoms develop gradually.  You won’t be caught by surprise.”

 “Oh...well, I guess that’s one good thing…”  She fell silent for a moment, then:  “Will Chat Noir’s kwami have told all about this by now, too?”

 “He should have,” Tikki said.  “But the next time you see each other, you should talk and make sure you both understand the situation.  You need to be on the same page.”

 “You want me to talk to him about all this?!  Tikki, why would you make me do that?!  I’m already going to die of shame as it is!  You want us to embarrass each other to death?!”

 “I know it’s embarrassing for you, Marinette, but the fact that you’re both going through this should at least help you two sympathize with each other.  You can’t let your communication suffer because of embarrassment, it’s too important.  I realize how stressful this, but it’ll be a lot easier once you teach yourself to not worry more than you need to.”

Marinette groaned.

“I know you’re probably right, Tikki, but...I just don’t know how I’m gonna deal with this…”  Her eyes suddenly bugged out as another horrifying thought struck her.  “What if Chat Noir and I can’t handle it?  What if we lose to temptation and end up…?!”  She couldn’t even finish the sentence.  “It could ruin our entire relationship!  I mean, partnership!  I mean, team dynamic!!  You know what I mean!!!”

Tikki came closer and smiled at Marinette comfortingly. 

“I firmly believe that if that did happen, it would be because you both gave into temptation.  And yes, that could easily lead to a lot of awkwardness between you two, but I believe your friendship is strong enough to not be ruined by it.”

“So, Chat Noir wouldn’t...wouldn’t try to...force himself on me?” Marinette asked softly.

“Do you think he would?”

“No!” she cried instantly.  “No, but...but if the spell got strong enough...maybe he couldn’t...stop himself...?”

“The cycle doesn’t change your personalities,” Tikki said.  “And it doesn’t put you into a passive trance like the spell of a supervillain might.  Do you think Chat Noir would put his own sexual desire over you and your feelings?”

Marinette managed a strained smile.

“No, he would never.”

“And as long as you only see each other when you need to protect Paris and keep your heads about you, your symptoms shouldn’t get to a point where you can’t control yourselves.”

Marinette took a deep breath.

“Okay...okay, I’ll try to remember that.  We can do this....”

“That’s the spirit!” Tikki praised, raising her tiny arms in celebration.  “I know you can do it!”

“Thanks, Tikki.”  Marinette gently scooped up Tikki and brought her up close to her face and placed a tiny kiss on her head.

“Sleep well, Marinette,” said Tikki. 

Marinette placed Tikki beside her pillow and scooted herself under the covers.

“Goodnight, Tikki.”

Marinette closed her eyes and tried to relax.  Thanks to Tikki, she wasn’t panicking anymore, but she couldn’t banish her thoughts about Chat Noir and the cycle altogether.  She tried to imagine how Chat Noir might have reacted upon hearing about the cycle from his kwami.  She couldn’t imagine him not freaking out to some degree like the way she had.  Was he worried about feeling awkward around her?  Almost definitely.  Was he horrified by the thought of wanting her, like, ten times more than normal?

_...oh, god...I don’t have an answer for that one…_

Because for almost as long as they had known each other, she had suspected that he might have a crush on her.  She was pretty sure he had never said so to her face, but it was so obvious from the way he acted around her, there was no way he wasn’t doing it on purpose.  He probably thought he being smooth and subtle, but he was definitely no pickup artist.  But the point was, he didn’t see as just his superhero partner, the way she saw him (she greatly appreciated his companionship, she really did, but could she also think of him as a close friend if they didn’t know each other’s identities?).  If he had some form of romantic feelings for her (it felt surprisingly...strange...to think of it in those words), then would it not bother him so much, since it was just a lot more of what he already felt?

Whoa, wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait!  Does he really feel that way about me?  I mean, yeah, he has a “crush” on me, but what does that even mean, exactly?  Does he...does he fantasize about kissing me, for instance?

Yes, she realized, he almost certainly did, because she recalled him making kissy-lips at her while hanging upside-down from a lamppost by her yo-yo.

Does he wish he could take me out on a date?

Yes, she realized, if offering to be her date to the mime show counted as asking her out.

Does he...does he already fantasize about doing MORE than kissing with me?!

This one was a lot harder to say...she certainly fantasized about doing a lot more than kissing with Adrien, but how similar were her feelings for Adrien comparable to Chat Noir’s feelings for her?

If he does feel that way about me, and he’s anywhere close to my age--which I’m sure he is--then he’d only be a healthy, straight teenage boy for having sexual fantasies, I guess…

...Still doesn’t make me feel much better about it, though.

 ~

Adrien got back home in time to make it look like he was working on homework before he was called down for dinner.  As he often did, he ate his food on autopilot, but in this case, it was because he was lost in thought. 

Being gifted the opportunity to just sit down and chat with Ladybug was such a rare and wonderful thing...their conversation might have been mostly about Summer Fae, but still, it had felt so nice to sit right next to her, hidden away from the admiring public and press, and just talk like two good friends.  If he could only take her out on dates, they could have so much more time together to have pleasant conversations…

When Adrien went back upstairs to brush his teeth, he found Plagg sitting on the edge of his bed looking at him in a strangely expectant way.

“What?” he asked.

“Go ahead and brush your teeth, then come sit down somewhere,” Plagg said, sounding bizarrely business-like.  “I have a supplementary to add to your miraculous training.”

Adrien’s eyebrows disappeared under his bangs.

“...should I be afraid?” he asked.  “Because I do not like your tone…It sounds ominous.”

“Well, you’re not wrong,” Plagg said, shrugging his tiny shoulders.  “Go brush your teeth,” he repeated.  “This is gonna take a while.”

Adrien slunk toward the bathroom eyeing Plagg like he was afraid of being backstabbed with a shiv.  He closed the bathroom door (Plagg was creeping him out, okay?), brushed his teeth, and flossed before coming back out.  Plagg was right where he had left him.

“Sit down,” Plagg said, finally floating back up into the air.

Hesitating, Adrien slowly made his way to his bed and sat on the edge, eyeing Plagg warily.

“So,” Plagg began.  “Tomorrow marks one year since you first transformed into Chat Noir.  Am I right?”

“Yyyyeeeaaahhh…” Adrien said slowly.  “Why?  Are my powers going to change somehow?”

“No,” Plagg replied.  “You’re going to go into heat.”

Adrien’s brain froze for a second, before…

“Um, WHAT?!” he yelped.  “I’m going to WHAT?!”

“Go into heat,” Plagg repeated tonelessly.  “It’s the start of your mating cycle.  It will last exactly 30 days, and then you’ll be back to normal until the same time next year.”

“‘Mating...cycle…’” Adrien echoed.  “Waitaminutewaitaminutewaitaminute, so when you say, ‘go into heat,’ you mean like...like a cat?!”  His voice cracked on the last word.  “What does that even mean?!” he croaked.

“Yup, like a cat,” Plagg replied.  “Or, rather, like a normal human with a cat added.  It starts off super-subtle,” he continued, “so you’ll barely even notice it at first, but the more time you spend near Ladybug, the faster it gets worse.  If you two keep lingering after defeating a supervillain like you did today...by the fourth week, you’ll want to have sex with Ladybug so badly, you’ll be in agony.”

Adrien’s brain was now playing Plagg’s last sentence on loop, struggling to fully comprehend it.  With each loop, his face turned one shade of pink brighter, and by the fourth or fifth loop, his jaw had gone slack.  He decided to pause and focus on the details for more information.

“...and by ‘agony,’ you mean…?”

Plagg thought for a moment, then rolled his eyes.

“Recall the bittersweet torment you apparently indulge in by masturbating with your head filled with fantasies involving Ladybug…”

The sound that escaped Adrien sounded like a rat getting stepped on.

“...and multiply that by about ten or twenty.  That’s how badly you’ll want her.”

Adrien’s wish to spontaneously combust from embarrassment was abruptly replaced by dread again.

Ten or twenty times that…?!

He couldn’t even imagine it.

“Those are the basics,” Plagg said, correctly interpreting Adrien’s change of expression to mean that he was still listening...sort of.  “Ladybug’s going to be going through pretty much the same thing, except, during the last week, she’s going to start to smell really sweet to you-- even sweeter than usual--while you will start exhibiting feline courting behaviors like caterwauling and love-biting.”

“WHAAAAT?!”  Adrien gripped his own head between his hands in horror.  “‘Caterwauling and love-biting’?!”

“And a bunch of other behaviors, but you don’t have to worry about all of that until later.”

“WELL, I’M WORRYING NOW!” he wailed.  “Ladybug’s going to run screaming for the hills if I do that!  Being Chat Noir is awesome and amazing and cool, but being a black cat in heat is not!”

“You’d probably be right,” Plagg said with a nod, “Except she’s going to be in heat, too.  So, whether she’s in love with you or not, your miraculouses are going to make her want you, too.”

“That…”  Adrien tried to visualize this, but unlike with his own fantasies in which she wanted him because she loved him the same way he loved her, it made him feel slightly...nauseous, almost.

“That...that just sounds cruel and unfair,” he said sadly.  “I want her to love me...and want me because she loves me.  It sounds like we’re getting spells put on us that’ll make us not act like ourselves.”  The longer he thought about it, the more horrified he was starting to feel about the whole thing.  “If…!  If she just...threw herself at me because she’s in heat, and I couldn’t help her think rationally because I’m in heat, then she’d just end up feeling torn and confused once it all wore off.  She could end up depressed and ashamed and full of regret!  And I couldn’t help support her because I would have been half the reason it happened to her…”

Adrien wrapped his arms around himself and cringed.

Plagg finally relaxed and sagged a little in the air, looking at Adrien pityingly.

“I can’t promise you two won’t end up in an awkward spot,” Plagg said grimly, “But if it makes you feel any better, the mating cycle never changes your personalities, no matter how bad it gets.  You’re head-over-heels in love with Ladybug, and you’ll still be in love with her during your cycle.  You’ll still care about her, and respect her, and want her to love you for you, not just because you think a good catch.  I’d bet all the camembert I could eat in your lifetime that, even while in heat, you’d never force yourself on her or anything like that; you’ll probably end up groveling at her feet and begging to ravish her if anything.”

Adrien let go of the breath he had been holding with a whoosh and sagged with relief.

“Thank god for that…” he choked with a sniff.  “I don’t think I could live with myself if anything happened that way…”  He looked back up at Plagg imploringly.  “But what about Ladybug?  If she doesn’t feel like she loves me, how is she going to handle feeling like she wants me anyway?”

“Well, that’s up to her, obviously,” Plagg replied.  “If she’s convinced she sees you as just her partner, then she’ll probably be doing her best to ignore her libido and concentrating on her more rational thoughts and feelings.  It’s not much different than resisting the urge to have a one-night stand even when you know it’s asking for trouble because you’re not in love romantically with the other person.  It’s just...you know, ten or twenty times harder.”

Adrien groaned.

“I’m going to have to make sure she knows she can kick my ass if I cross a line,” he said, “Because I’m guessing already being in love with her is just gonna make my situation worse…”

“It won’t be necessarily worse, per se,” Plagg cut in.  “It just won’t feel at-odds with the rest of your feelings for her.  With her, it might feel like her brain’s stuck in a paradox.”

“Still, I’m going to tell her she can beat me senseless if she needs to.  She probably already knows this, but I might as well say it.”

“Fine with me,” Plagg said, shrugging.  “You should talk as soon as possible so that you both know everything that’s going on.  After that…”  Plagg flew closer to Adrien’s face for emphasis.  “You both need to meet only when you need to save Paris, and then go your separate ways as quickly as possible.  No lingering, work-related conversation only, and no unnecessary calls--voice or video--on your communicators; the “pheromones” come from your miraculouses, so even long-distance communication will add to your symptoms.  As long as you do this, and just keep your heads about you in general, you should get through your cycles without too much trouble.  Oh, and feel free to blow off the steam by yourself as much as you need to; it’ll help take the edge off.”

“‘Blow off steam…?  Oh…”  Adrien scowled, turning red again.  “All right, I got it.”

“Good.  If you think I might have missed something, ask away.”  Plagg put his paws on his hips.  “Otherwise, that’s it.  You’re dismissed.”

“M’kay...” Adrien sighed.  “Thanks, Plagg…”  He heaved himself onto his feet.  He felt emotionally exhausted and decided he might as well change for bed now.

“Sure,” Plagg grunted, settling down to find a spot next to Adrien’s pillow to sleep on.  He flopped himself down on his belly and yawned loudly, and then caught Adrien’s eye as he climbed into bed.

“Things’ll work out,” Plagg said bracingly.  “You two make too good a team to let this break you up.”

Adrien smiled at Plagg gratefully.

“That’s what I’m hoping,” he murmured.

“And tomorrow, you’re going back to school, so maybe you’ll see some of your friends from last year.”

Adrien looked up at the ceiling and managed a grin.

“Yeah...that would be great…”  He turned his head to look at Plagg again.  The black Kwami had closed his eyes.

“Goodnight, Plagg,” he whispered.

Plagg immediately began to snore.  Adrien took the hint and rolled over, closing his eyes and giving silent thanks to whatever force of destiny brought Plagg--and Ladybug--into his life.


	3. Absolutely Smitten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette, Alya, Nino, and Adrien are in the same class this year! (Well, so is Chloe, but Rose and Juleka are, too!) Alya and Nino team up to orchestrate a dramatic reunion for their favorite couple, only for Adrien to exceed all expectations and thrill Marinette to pieces!  
> Adrien gives himself a stern talking-to for greeting Marinette way too excitedly, only to find himself unable to shake an uncanny awareness of her closeness. Later, Adrien finds himself worrying about his next encounter with Ladybug: could he end up blurting out his feelings for her if and when his heat gets bad enough? Maybe it's better if he tells her sooner, on his own terms...

> _Did you just whisper in her ear? / Words she only dreamed to hear_
> 
> _Pretty lady, look at how he's smiling / I think he likes you!_
> 
> _But it's too late / You believe in fate_
> 
> _You're absolutely smitten / You'll never let her go_
> 
> \-- dodie, "Absolutely Smitten"

_Thursday, September 1st_

Marinette had resigned herself to the fact that she would probably be going to school the next morning with exactly zero hours of sleep, but if it had happened that way, she wouldn’t be currently groaning like a zombie with her eyes glued shut with sleep.  Luckily she had remembered to set her alarm on her phone, so she wouldn’t end up sleeping through the day, but she couldn’t think of any reason to drag herself out of bed…

“Marinette, your alarm’s been going off for ten minutes!” her mother called.  “You don’t want to be late your first day!”

 _Well,_ I _don’t wanna miss catching up on my_ beauty sleep _, how ‘bout that?_

“Marinette, wake up!” chirped Tikki, who was currently patting Marinette’s cheek with a tiny paw.  “You wouldn’t want to miss class with Alya and _Adrien_ , would you?”

_...Okay, MAYBE my beauty sleep can wait..._

Eating breakfast and getting out the door into the fresh air helped wake her up somewhat.  She grumbled over the walk to school being three times as long as the walk across the street to her middle school had been; not because her athletic endurance was bad, but because she was starting to miss her bed already.

It turned out to be worth it, however; upon finding her assigned classroom and letting herself in, she was greeted by a familiar scream of excitement.

“Marinette!  Get over here, girl!”

Before she could move, Alya had her in a bear hug.

“We’re in the same class, _hell_ yeah!” she crowed.

“I am _so_ psyched!” Marinette agreed, hugging her back.  “Now I know this year will be a good year even if Chloé’s in our class, too!”

The girls separated and grinned at each other.  Alya leaned in and stage-whispered, “Yeah, unfortunately, she _is_ in our class; she came in earlier, but she left again to go wait outside the school for Adrien.  She’ll probably have her dad threaten the principle if he isn’t in the same class.”

“Would it be awful if I was secretly grateful for that?” Marinette asked sheepishly.  “If I couldn’t ask him out last year with him in our class, I don’t have a chance this year if he’s _not_ in our class!”

Alya suddenly smirked evilly.

“Oh, don’t worry about that...” she drawled mysteriously.  “Besides, it’s not just me: Nino, Rose,  and Juleka are in our class, too, and Sabrina _isn’t_ , so Chloé won’t have her _minion_ with her this year!”

“Oh, that’s awesome!” Marinette cheered.  “And I don’t know that not having Sabrina around will make much of a difference, but I don’t mind either way!”

“Same here!” Alya agreed.  Her phone dinged at her, letting her know she had gotten a text.  She immediately whipped it out and unlocked her screen.  She seemed _very_ excited about something.

“Who’re you texting?” Marinette asked, craning her neck to try to see.

“Nino,” Alya replied, sounding way too innocent.  “I have him on a secret mission.  He’s letting me know that he’s successfully intercepted and captured the target.”  She scrolled through something on her phone and hit a key.  Marinette could hear it calling someone.

“Uh...what?!” Marinette asked nervously.  “What _kind_ of ‘secret mission’?”

“You’re about to find out!” cackled Alya.  She brought the phone up to her ear.  “Agent DJ, this is Agent Ladyblogger!  Are you in position?”

Marinette gaped at Alya, completely baffled and a little nervous at the way Alya was leering maniacally at her.

“Roger that!” Alya continued after a pause.  “Everything’s in position on my end.  Operation: Lovebirds Unite is a go!  Proceed!”

She hung up.  Marinette briefly considered running for her life.

Alya spun her around by the shoulders and covered her eyes.

“Hey!  Alya, what are doing?!  What are you and Nino plotting?!”

“A surprise,” Alya stated simply, steering Marinette back out into the hallway.

“Wha?  But--where are you taking me?!  I just got here!”

“Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh...you’re not the _only_ one who just got here!”

“WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!”

“Just relax, don’t resist, and trust me!”  She stopped, forcing Marinette to a halt.

“Oh, Marinette!”  Marinette recognized Rose’s voice.  “Hi!  Juleka and I are in your class, with Alya and Nino, too!  Isn’t this great?”

“Why do you have her blindfolded?”  Juleka’s voice, sounding curious.

“To prevent her from resisting capture,” Alya responded.

“Is anybody going to tell me why I’m being captured?” Marinette asked.

Before she could receive an answer, however, she heard Nino’s voice approaching from down the hallway.

“...trust me, dude.  All will become clear in due time!”

“If you would stop talking like that, I wouldn’t be so suspicious!”

At the sound of _this_ familiar voice, Marinette’s heart suddenly decided it wasn’t happy sitting still and started fluttering against the inside of her ribcage.

_Oh-god-oh-god-oh-god I’m not ready for this!  This isn’t fair, I need warning and preparation for this!  I’m going to pass out!!_

“And...stop!”  Nino stopped walking, his prisoner doing the same.

“Excellent work, Agent DJ!” Alya praised.  “We’ve succeeded in capturing them alive!  And now, for the final step!”

“Alya…!” Marinette croaked.

“Wha--?  Is that…?” Adrien suddenly spoke, his voice trailing off.  Marinette could almost believe he sounded as dizzy as she felt.

 _Please let me survive this!_ she prayed.

“Is that you, Marinette?” Adrien asked, still sounding a little breathless.

Marinette was _extremely_ glad he couldn’t see her swaying in place.

“Uh!  Y-y-y-y-y-yes!” she squeaked.  “It’s m-me!”

As if on some silent signal, Alya took her hands away from Marinette’s eyes, and Marinette prayed she wasn’t blushing as obviously as she felt like she was.  Because _there he was_!  Her one, her only, her _sweet, sweet Adrien!_   And the expression currently on his face--eyes wide and jaw slack in surprise--looked so much like what _her_ face felt like (minus the glowing blush, of course) that her knees almost buckled.

Rose and Juleka?  He didn’t even notice them.

The next thing she knew, Adrien had broken into the biggest, most blinding grin she had _ever_ seen on him, picked her up around the middle, and spun her around with a laugh she hadn’t heard from him since exactly one year ago.

“I can’t believe it, we’re in the same class?!” Adrien laughed.  “What are the odds?!”  He set her back down and pulled back enough to look at her again, while Marinette remained _hyper-conscious_ of his hands on her shoulders.  “You have no idea how much I hoped you three, at least, would be in my class, this is amazing!”

He paused to catch his breath, while Marinette desperately tried to restart her heart.

 _I never realized before just how oblivious he is to what he does to me,_ Marinette thought vacantly.  _I guess that’s a good thing until I get my act together…_

Adrien blinked several times, still gazing at Marinette like she held the secret to everlasting happiness.  Then, he seemed to suddenly remember his manners and back-peddled too quickly in a panic, releasing her shoulders and dropping his gaze.  His hands actually flailed in midair for a second before dropping to his sides, and, while it wasn’t the easiest to spot against his warm and sunny complexion, there was a blush blooming across the bridge of his nose.

“Uh!  Sorry, I--!  I guess I...got a little too excited there!”  He raised a hand to scratch the back of his head.  “Excuse me!”

“Ah! No, nonono, it’s fine!  I mean, _I’m_ fine!  I mean...uh, don’t worry about it!  I...I-I-I-I didn’t...mind...I...”  She was about to correct herself again, worried that saying ‘I didn’t mind’ was a little too much, but she shut her mouth before she could and tried to smile, deciding she would leave it out there.  She _really_ _hadn’t_ minded…

“Uh...okay, I’m...glad…?” Adrien hesitantly smiled back, and Marinette internally gave herself a hearty pat on the back.

“Well, Nino and I couldn’t be happier to see you liked our surprise!” Alya said with a satisfied nod.  “Rose and Juleka are in our class, too, Adrien, as you can see!”

Adrien started and suddenly noticed Rose and Juleka.  He immediately greeted them sincerely and enthusiastically, but all Marinette really noticed was that he didn’t pick either of _them_ up and spin them around…

 _Maybe this month won’t be such a disaster after all…_ she thought.

After joining the rest of her class, Marinette sat down next to Alya behind Nino and Adrien.

 _Would it have been pushing it if I had wrapped my arms around his neck while he spun me?_ she wondered, staring dreamily down at the back of Adrien’s head.  _I wish I had at least smiled at him or laughed instead of just gaping in shock...hopefully, he doesn’t regret doing any of that because I told him I didn’t mind...when he and I are finally a couple, we’ll do stuff like that all the time...it’ll be amazing!_

Alya reached across the desk and nudged Marinette to catch her attention.

“Wha--?”

“GURL!”  Alya hissed.  “TELL ME that what I saw this morning between you and Adrien _actually_ happened, because I _totally_ forgot to record your reunion!  Did he, or did he not, _pick you up by the waist and spin you around?!_ ”

“ _He did!_ ” Marinette squeaked back.  “I can hardly believe it myself, but he did!  Oh my god, Alya, I thought I was gonna pass out!  And he sounded so happy!”

“ _I’ll_ say he did!” Alya whispered excitedly.  “I’ve _never_ seen him that excited!  I haven’t heard him _laugh_ like that, ever!”  Alya was gesturing excitedly and her eyes were flashing, the way they did when she got a big scoop.  “I mentioned it to Nino, and even _he_ was surprised!  Girl!  Do you know what this means?!”

“No!  What does it mean?!” Marinette breathed, squeezing her fists and leaning forward eagerly.  “What does it mean, Alya?!”

“It means _this is the year!”_ Alya hissed.  “If not the _semester_!  I’m calling it now: you, my dear, are going to be Adrien Agreste’s girlfriend before final exams, and you will be _banging him_ before graduation!”

“ _Alya_!!” she gasped.  “Geez, could you announce that a little louder, I don’t think Adrien’s FATHER HEARD YOU!”

Alya just started shaking with suppressed laughter.

“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t love it if it came true, though!” she choked, shooting Marinette with a finger gun.  “Oh my god, I am _so_ getting you a ‘Congrats on the Sex!’ cake!”

“ _Um, no you are not!_ ”  Marinette hissed, making an “X” with her arms.  “I will _bury_ your _head_ in the cake if you even _try_!”

“It is my _right_ as your best friend and wingwoman to give you a “Congrats on the Sex!” cake, and you _cannot_ stop me!” Alya crooned, smirking.  “You may as well just resign yourself to this fact!”

“I really do appreciate you rooting for me, but I don’t think _school_ is the best place to talk about me _banging_ Adrien,” Marinette replied flatly.  “And even if no-one hears, and all I end up doing is just silently _fantasizing_ about banging Adrien, I don’t want to risk anyone _catching_ me doing so and seeing my expression.”

“You realize _you_ just said the phrase ‘banging Adrien’ out loud yourself twice, right?” Alya pointed out. 

Marinette scowled and turned bright pink.

“Besides, I think I’ve known you long enough that I’ve probably seen your fantasizing-about-banging-Adrien face at least once, and you’ll be glad to know that it doesn’t look much different from the rest of your fantasizing-about-Adrien faces:  dreamy smile, blushing cheeks, and the occasional sigh.  No big deal!”

“Well, you already planted the image, so I guess it’s too late, anyway…” Marinette grumbled. 

“‘Atta girl!” Alya chuckled.

 _Great…_   Marinette thought, pouting.  _Just great...Well, now I know what I’M_ _thinking about for the rest of today!  Thanks, Alya!!_

In truth, she couldn’t stay mad for long; she probably would have spent most of the remaining periods thinking about Adrien without Alya’s help.  He was sitting one row _below_ her and one seat to the _side_ , which meant she could _almost_ see the right side of his face as he looked forward, and see his _entire_ right profile when he looked in Nino’s direction!  It was _serendipitous_!

_I would like to thank all the gods and goddesses and miscellaneous guardian spirits of love and happiness and future boyfriends…!  Thank you ever so much for Adrien Agreste…!_

~

When the lunch bell rang, Chloé lunged at Adrien and tried to convince him to eat lunch with her in the cafeteria instead of going home, but he delicately pulled his arm out of her grasp and told her his father wouldn’t approve.

“I need to at least get his permission beforehand, and then maybe I’ll be able to eat lunch here at school sometimes,” he said patiently. 

“It’s not like you’d be having lunch with somebody he doesn’t _know_!” Chloé said, scowling.  “He knows I’m not going to _kidnap_ you, or something!”

“If I don’t go home for lunch today, all he’ll _know_ is that I didn’t come home when I was supposed to, and while I’m _probably_ at school, I _could_ have been kidnapped or something,” he pointed out.  “He’ll get mad at _both_ of us if I stay for lunch, Chloé, and yes, your father _may_ be the mayor, but I don’t think _my_ father’s been intimidated by anyone in his life.”

“ _That_ has nothing to do with this conversation, but, whatever,” she said carelessly.  “I’ll see you when you get back.”

“Uh...yeah, sure…”

Since she was also going home for lunch, Marinette trailed a ways behind Adrien as he left the school and got into the Agreste family car to be chauffeured home by his bodyguard.  Once he was out of sight, she walked herself home, a dreamy smile on her face.

~

When the final bell rang, there was the expected shuffle and scramble of people gathering their things and filing out into the hallway.  Marinette didn’t immediately move to do the same, but just sat and watched Adrien with her chin in her hand as he tucked his tablet into his messenger bag.  He was taking his time gathering his things as he listened to whatever Nino was saying to him.  He stood up slowly...

And then he turned and looked up at her.

She instantly sat up a little straighter, her expression turning starstruck.

For a brief moment, he stared back, his wide-eyed expression difficult to read...curious?  Intrigued?  Mystified, even?

Then the spell broke; he smiled and waved at her.  It was his normal, polite and friendly smile...except, if Marinette had been paying just a _little_ more attention, she would have noticed how his shoulders weren’t fully relaxed, that his chin was tucked slightly down instead of tilting slightly up.  It meant he had to roll his eyes up higher than usual to meet her gaze, and the result made his expression ever-so-slightly bashful…

But Marinette was too busy internally screaming to notice.

 _EEEEEEE HE WAVED AT MEEEEE!!!_  

And off he went…

Marinette was still grinning awkwardly and waving long after he and Nino left the classroom.

“...Well!  _Somebody_ seems _very glad_ to be in the same class as you!” Alya remarked.

“He waved at me…” Marinette whispered, only half-listening.  “He looked at me and smiled at me and waved at me…”

“That he did!” said Alya.  “And by next semester, you two will be _kissing hello_ every morning!  Secretly in some quiet corner or empty classroom or cleaning closet, of course.”

_Mmm…!  Wait, no!  Marinette, control your thirst!_

“I dunno if Adrien is into PDA or not, though, Alya...he would probably have to be extra careful _not_ to engage in PDA because he’s a model and his father’s company is world-famous!”

“You would _think_ so…” Alya mused, “Except he totally picked you up and spun you around like you two were in a musical in front of me, Nino, Rose, and Juleka.”

Marinette had no comeback for this.  She could only stand there frozen in shock, her eyeballs bulging.

“But you’re right,” Alya continued.  “You two will have to scope out some _secret meeting places_ for your midnight trysts!”

“Alya, no…”

“Or maybe you’ll just sneak into each other’s rooms...”

“Alya, oh my god…!”

“I bet his bed is huuuuge...Kid’s loaded, after all.”

“STOOOOOP!!!”

Blonde boys were going to be the death of her, it seemed.

 ~

As he sat down next to Nino in the classroom, Adrien felt like he needed to give himself a lecture on proper social behavior.

 _Just because you haven’t seen Marinette in a while doesn’t give you an excuse to pick her up in a hug around the waist and spin her in a circle!  She might be your friend, but she’s not your GIRLFRIEND!_   _And even if she was, you can’t get carried away like that in public!  You are the son of Gabriel Agreste, and your father would not approve!_

It was probably because of how over-enthusiastic he had been in his greeting of Marinette, but even after entering the classroom and sitting down next to Nino to wait for lecture to start, he couldn’t shake this kind of subtle but ever-present awareness of Marinette sitting behind him.  It was difficult to describe, even to himself; he wondered if being able to feel someone’s eyes on you was similar to this.  On the now-rare occasions when he ate dinner with his father, for example, he could almost feel his father exerting a subtle but almost tangible pressure on his own personal space, even from on the other side of the long, cavernous dining room.  He could keep his eyes down on his plate the whole time, and still _feel_ his father’s intimidating presence.

This was like that, except he had been sitting in a classroom along with about twenty other students, each contributing to the subtle buzzing of the room’s atmosphere.  When he was sitting next to his best friend in a classroom full of people, why would Marinette’s presence stick out to him so much?  He couldn’t hear anything she was doing behind him, nor had she done or said anything out in the hallway that was notable enough to stick with him, except maybe the fact that she hadn’t minded his over-enthusiastic greeting.

 _At least I didn’t freak her out too much...at least I don’t think so.  She_ said _she didn’t mind, so, no harm done, I guess…_

Remembering how warm and affectionate her family and home felt, he thought that maybe Marinette was used to receiving more hugs in general than he was.  The thought made him smile.  It was easy to see where Marinette inherited her kindness.

Having finished scolding himself, he tried to concentrate on lecture, but the whole time, he could still _feel_ her sitting behind him.  It was subtle, and only slightly distracting, but it was...new.  A new awareness, a new sensation.

When the bell rang for lunch, Chloé had predictably tried to get him to stay to eat lunch with her, and he had to explain to her why he couldn’t, even though, of course, he was positive she already knew.  She hadn’t changed at all, it seemed.

And, as far as he could tell, Marinette hadn’t changed much either.  She was still the same sweet and klutzy girl who sometimes stumbled over her words that he remembered from middle school (also, remembering also how creatively-talented she had been in middle school, he could only _imagine_ the things she could do now).  So then, what was it about her _now_ that was nagging at him?

Again, it was probably all on him.  His subconscious just wasn’t ready to forgive him just yet for his social faux-pas.  And since Marinette was the one who suffered it, the fact that she was sitting right behind him was nagging at him.  That was all…

Returning home for lunch was a free opportunity to clear his head with a change of scenery.  Familiar scenery, but different from school, where Marinette had been sitting right behind him.  Once he had finished lunch, he realized that perhaps he should have concentrated on enjoying his food as deliberately as possible to help himself _not_ keep thinking back to Marinette.  It wasn’t that he couldn’t stop thinking about her; she just kept popping up in the back of his head, gently requesting his attention like a purring kitten touching him with a single paw.  It wasn’t anything worth worrying about, just...intriguing.

So, when the final bell rang, he had found himself turning to look up at her as he stood from his seat.  He couldn’t have told you what he expected to see, but she just drew his gaze, like a ladybug landing on an important note he hadn’t noticed.

She was still sitting at her desk, her cheek resting on her hand when he caught sight of her.  Her head jerked up out of her hand and her eyes widened as soon as realized he was looking at her.  Caught, Adrien had immediately smiled and waved at her, hoping that was enough to make him _not_ look like he had been staring at her like a weirdo.  She seemed to buy it.

But he had been struck by the sudden realization that she was...actually quite pretty…

Not at all a _strange_ thought to have; people had their “types”, but the standards by which conventional beauty was measured weren’t all that varied; if they were, fashion models would be as motley a group as the rest of the human race.  He felt that, as a model himself, he could attest to this.  Adrien was a sensitive, humble boy, and you would never catch him boasting about the fact that pictures of him could be seen all over Paris, but, honestly, he would have to be _really_ down on himself to think he _wasn’t_ handsome, plain-and-simple. 

Thus, he felt that it was indisputable that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was likewise a very attractive human being.

... _Ugh, do you even_ hear _yourself, Adrien?  You are_ REALLY _overthinking all of this!  Just stop worrying about it!  It’s just Marinette!_

Needless to say, by now he was starting to worry a little bit for his mental health... _just_ a little bit.

 ~

Even after he got home from school, he was still preoccupied, but at least he was alone with Plagg in his room where no one could witness his awkwardness.  Taking advantage of the free time he had before dinner, he got on his computer and brought up the Ladyblog to see the latest on his and Ladybug’s feats of heroism (as far as the public knew, anyway).  Even though he had seen and participated in it all in person, it was fun to see it all from a third-person point of view...especially when he got to watch Ladybug save Paris from multiple angles. 

Alya’s latest video, of the two of them confronting Summer Fae, was one the more underwhelming posts:  Alya had recorded the footage from _very_ far away, and so the viewer couldn’t see what was happening at all.  He and Ladybug hadn’t even engaged Summer Fae in any form of combat, so there wasn’t much to see.  He was actually glad Alya hadn’t been able to catch anything he had said to Summer Fae on camera.  He would prefer that nobody hear him sweet-talk anybody other than his Lady.

Speaking of his Lady…

It may have only been one day since he had seen her last, but it had also been one day since he learned that the two of them would be entering their “mating cycle”, and even though he dreaded the inevitable embarrassment, he wanted to talk to Ladybug about it so he could hear her thoughts.  Maybe her kwami had told her something that Plagg forgot to tell him, or maybe she an idea or two of her own for them to deal with it.  Either way, he also wanted to know if she was as worried as he was about how the mating cycle might affect their ability to work to together effectively as a team, or how it might trouble their relationship in general.  He wanted to reassure her that, no matter what, his loyalty to her would not be shaken, and that he believed in her loyalty to him in turn.

He also really just wanted to see her...and maybe give her a hug if she was okay with it.

The problem was, they had no way to contact each other when weren’t both superheroes, and so if Hawk Moth decided, for some reason, to not akumatize anyone for a while, he and Ladybug wouldn’t be able to meet to talk about their situation.  What if Hawk Moth went a whole week without akumatizing anyone?  That would be one-quarter of their mating cycle past.  How far along would their symptoms have developed by then?  Would even be safe to talk to Ladybug at that point?

“Hey, Plagg?” he called, spinning his chair around to look around his room for his kwami.  “What should we do if Hawk Moth doesn’t akumatize anyone soon?  I mean, don’t get me wrong, it would be nice for Paris to get a break, but eventually, won’t it be too risky to try to meet Ladybug?”

Plagg emerged from inside Adrien’s pillowcase.

“Even if Hawk Moth didn’t give you two anything to do for a week, you should still be okay to talk for a bit.  Since you won’t have seen each other until then, your symptoms wouldn’t have developed much.”

“That’s a relief, I guess,” Adrien said.  “How bad would we be by then, exactly?”

“Hard to say for sure…” Plagg said thoughtfully.  “Wanting to see Ladybug _reeeeeeally_ badly, that’s for sure.  _Constantly_ thinking about what you two could be _doing_ if _only_ you were _alone together_ …”

Adrien’s imagination instantly supplied him with examples of exactly what Plagg was referring to.  He felt his face turn bright red.

“...Which would lead to _twice_ as many bothersome erections for you, probably…”

“TMI!!” Adrien yelled, covering his ears.  “TMI!!!”

“...and a lot of restlessness for Ladybug, too,” Plagg added.  “She’ll be in basically the same situation as you.”

“THAT…!  That would also be TMI…” Adrien mumbled, blushing even harder and feeling _very_ disappointed in himself for where his imagination was going…

Would Ladybug find herself lying awake at night, staring at her ceiling as she thought about him, the way he did about her so often already?  Would she imagine what it might be like to kiss him?  To snuggle up together in the same bed and fall asleep in each other’s arms?   Would she try to imagine what it would feel like to touch each other’s bare skin with their bare hands?

Adrien felt the flush on his face trickle down his neck to his collarbone, and a shiver ran down his spine.  Did Ladybug have any inkling of an idea of what she did to him?  Even after all this time, he didn’t know if she thought his flirting was just him playing around with her, or if she knew he genuinely, sincerely _liked_ her.  She kept things between them lighthearted but business-like, and if she had any idea of how deeply in love he was with her, she was depressingly good at hiding it.

Maybe she thought it was just a silly crush and nothing more?  He had wanted to tell her how he really felt about her for the longest time, but somehow or other, he just hadn’t been able to make it happen.  He had come so _close_ to telling her on Valentine’s Day last year, but if he remembered correctly, Dark Cupid had chosen that moment to interrupt, and he had ended up taking one of his arrows and being brainwashed into _hating_ Ladybug and trying to take her down.  Somehow or other, Ladybug had saved the day as usual, of course, but by the time the spell on him had broken, they had both already used their superpowers and had to go their separate ways before they changed back.  He hadn’t had the nerve to try to get her to stay long enough to hear his confession.  At least she hadn’t held against him whatever horrible things he had said to her during the fight.

Would Ladybug feel any differently about him if she knew exactly how _he_ felt about _her_?  The last thing he wanted to do was make things awkward between them with a confession of love that wouldn’t be well-received...but what if that was all that was holding them back?  What if all he needed to do was take a leap of faith?

 _No, stop that!_ he scolded himself.  _This month is the worst time for you to be getting your hopes up for no good reason.  Any other time, maybe, but not during the mating cycle!  It wouldn’t be right..._

But _could_ he keep his true feelings to himself until it was over?  If it got to the point where he started throwing himself at her feet and begging for her permission to ravish her, as Plagg said he might, then what would stop him from declaring his all-consuming love to her in the process?  _Not_ telling her he loved her more than life itself would seem like a lie of omission by then!  Would it be better to tell her the truth before he was no longer of sound mind?

“Plagg…” he called again, staring down at his knees.  “What do you think the odds are that I’ll blurt out that I love her because the mating cycle is messing with my head?”

“Ooh...that _would_ be something, wouldn’t it?” Plagg remarked, not sounding _nearly_ worried enough, in Adrien’s opinion.  “Something like 80% if you two are lucky and your symptoms don’t get too bad...more like 90% if you two are fighting supervillains every other day.”

“Oh, god…”  Adrien buried his face in his hands.

“And she’d eat it up, too,” Plagg added.  “Probably say the same.”

“Wait, what?”  Adrien looked up and stared at Plagg in confusion.  “But how could she trust my state of mind at that point?  Wouldn’t she try not to take me too seriously because the mating cycle was messing with my brain?”

“No, because it would be messing with _her_ brain, too,” Plagg pointed out, gesturing with a paw.  “Hearing you say you love her with every fiber of her being would be music to her ears, and she’d probably beg you to take her right then and there.”

“Oh, _fuck_...” he croaked, trying and failing miserably to not visualize Ladybug pinning him against a wall, kissing him senseless, and _commanding_ him to make her his.

“So you’re thinking it might be a better idea to tell her _before_ you start yowling for her love?” Plagg asked.

“Um, excuse me, ‘ _yowling_ ’?!” Adrien asked, running his fingers through his hair in a nervous tic.

“You know, meowing plaintively at her like the tomcat you are to try to get her aroused.”

“Oh my god, _what_ is going to _happen_ to me?!” Adrien howled, standing up and gripping his hair like he was about to rip it out.  “Plagg, she’s going to be _terrified_ of me!”

“No, she won’t,” Plagg deadpanned.  “And you don’t have to worry about that part for a while.  I’ll tell you about every feline tendency you’ll develop when your symptoms get bad enough.  Until then, just concentrate on managing your urges.”

Adrien took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.  This month was going to shed years off his life. 

“So…” he finally asked hesitantly, “Do you think I should tell her how I feel?”

“Your feelings are going to influence how you react to your symptoms, so it’s only fair she knows how they might affect you,” Plagg replied.  “Unless you think it would just upset her, I’d say do it.”

Adrien released his grip on his hair and heaved a deep sigh.

“Okay...” he said lowly.  “I just hope she’s in an okay mood when I see her.”


	4. It Was The Heat Of The Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir's opportunity to talk finally comes when the supervillain Doctor Quack appears, but first, he needs to be stopped before he captures and operates on any innocent and perfectly-healthy citizens! Puns are thrown left and right, and both Ladybug and Chat Noir get a good laugh at each other's expense. Afterwards, Ladybug and Chat Noir have their talk: Ladybug sees a side of Chat Noir that he’s never shown before, and then hears a confession that he’s wanted to make for a long time…  
> …And then, Ladybug discovers just how powerful a single kiss can be.

_Saturday, September 3rd_

Marinette couldn’t remember looking forward to school this much before.  It added spring to her step the next morning knowing that Adrien would be there, sitting one row down and one seat over from her, just like in their middle-school days.  Adrien smiled at her and said good morning with a cheery wave as they filed into the classroom, and she felt like a cup of liquid sunshine was poured into her belly.  By the time she remembered to wave back and smile (she didn’t trust herself to speak) he was sitting down next to Nino and taking out his tablet.  Untroubled, Marinette sat down next to Alya in the row right behind him and just watched him with a dreamy smile on her face.

She might have been able to spend the whole morning free from worrying about “the talk” she had to have with Chat Noir the next time they met…but it seemed the universe had other plans.  Halfway through Math, Alya’s alert went off on her phone, signaling that the press was reporting live at the scene of something big, usually a supervillain on the rampage.  Ignoring the scowl of disapproval the teacher sent her way, Alya stood up in her seat, leaped over Marinette’s legs, and tore out of the classroom yelling, “OFF TO RECORD LADYBUG!  SEE YOU ALL WHENEVER!”

The classroom erupted in excitement, and the teacher struggled to get everyone to settle down so he could resume lecture.  In the commotion, Marinette slipped out and headed straight for the girls’ bathroom to transform.

 ~

After taking to the rooftops, Ladybug flipped open her yo-yo to view Alya’s livestream on the Ladyblog.  Alya was sure to be heading straight for wherever the press was reporting from, and Ladybug hoped she could track her to the supervillain’s location and keep her best friend out of trouble.

 _“I’m pedaling as fast as I can, but I’m gonna lose this guy any minute!”_ Alya voiced growled in frustration as the view through her phone showed what looked like a surgeon dressed in hazmat-yellow operating room garb, riding on a gurney that pushed itself and sported multiple straps for restraining hysterical patients.  Whoever the supervillain was, he or she was leaving Alya behind at what must have been at least 30 kilometers per hour.

 _Good thing you can’t follow them, too, or I might have to rescue you again,_ Ladybug thought dryly.

She flipped her yo-yo closed and used it to lasso a nearby smokestack, taking off over the Parisian rooftops.  Continually glancing down as she swung and leaped, she kept her eyes peeled for the sight of a surgeon riding on a speeding gurney.  When she suddenly heard screaming, she followed the sound to the park, where she was greeted with the sight of people running for their lives in all directions.  Sure enough, she spotted the supervillain, armed with an oversized hypodermic needle in one hand and a scalpel in the other.  He was pacing around the park, trailing after the fleeing people and calling after them, maybe trying to convince them to let him operate on them?  Ladybug had a feeling that anyone he caught would be strapped down on the gurney, and she was relieved that it was currently unoccupied.  She would just have to make sure it stayed that way.

Just as she was about to leap into action, a familiar voice rang out from the direction of the nearby apartment complex.

“Hey!!  Is your malpractice insurance paid up?”

She easily picked out the black figure perched on the edge of the roof, and shakily drew a deep breath when her heart started pounding nervously.

 _You’re fine, Ladybug,_ she told herself bracingly.  _Just finish the job the way you always do,_ then _you can feel all awkward and have the embarrassing talk!_

Ladybug then realized that her hearing must be better than the supervillain’s, because he didn’t react to Chat Noir’s taunt at all.  Maybe one of them could sneak up on him?  But where was the akuma hiding?  In the syringe?  In the scalpel?  In the gurney?  In the face mask?!  The gloves?!  The lab coat?!

_We don’t have time to strip a supervillain and break everything on him!  How are we supposed to know which object to grab?!_

 

Chat Noir dashed along the edge of the roof on all fours and leaped onto the roof of Collége Françoise-Dupont to get closer to the scene.  Ladybug hoped he wouldn’t do anything impulsive just yet.  They needed a plan...

Then, her eyes landed on the gurney again…the gurney with restraining straps.

_Ooh, how convenient…_

Now knowing what they needed to do to beat him, Ladybug dropped gracefully down from her perch and whistled to catch the supervillain’s attention. 

“I don’t think it’s proper practice to operate on patients outdoors!” she called, standing with her hands on her hips.

As soon as he caught sight of her, the supervillain spread his arms out in surprise.  The sunlight reflecting off his headgear made it difficult to make out his facial features.

“Oh, my poor, dear, girl!” he cried dramatically.  “You have the most serious case of Ladypox I’ve ever seen!”

Before she could say a word in her defense, she was startled by the sound of Chat Noir bursting into uncontrollable laughter.  She almost didn’t recognize his voice, having never heard him laugh so hard before, but sure enough, she tracked the sound to the sight of Chat Noir hugging himself around the middle and swaying in place as his knees threatened to buckle under him.

“WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?!” she hollered at him, hoping he could see her outraged glare from where he was.

From the breaks in his cackling, it sounded like he now hiccuping from the force of his own laughter.  She watched in disbelief as he lurched sideways and actually toppled off the roof from laughing so hard.  Crossing her arms, she enjoyed as much as possible the ensuing screech and thud of him hitting the ground.  She knew a fall from that height wouldn’t hurt him, so she felt he deserved it.

“SERVES YOU RIGHT!!” she yelled for good measure.

She heard him wailing something hoarsely from wherever he had landed, but she couldn’t make out the words.  She decided she didn’t care.

“My dear, we simply _must_ operate as soon as possible!” the supervillain exclaimed, approaching Ladybug with what looked like an expression of concern on his face.  “Just leave everything to me, Doctor Quack, and I’ll have you back to normal in no time!”

“Um, eXcUse YoU, siR!” Chat Noir called, his voice cracking from the earlier abuse.  He came trudging around the corner of the school building, hugging his own stomach and gasping for breath.  “But iF yOu can miSteAk my LaDy’s ethereal beauty...for a SKIN CONDITION, I’d say YOU would be the one who needs operating on!  May I recommend laser eye surgery?  Because you are BLIND!”

“You’re still not funny, Chat Noir,” Ladybug deadpanned without looking at him.

Doctor Quack whipped around to face Chat Noir.

“Oh, goodness, Chat Noir!” he exclaimed.  “I confess I didn’t go to veterinary school, but I think your anatomy is human enough for me to take care of you, too.  What seems to be the problem?”

“Hey!  _You’re_ the one who just admitted you’re a _quack_!” Chat Noir shouted back, pointing an accusing finger at the approaching supervillain.  “I’d bet 2,000 euros you got akumatized ‘cause you lost your medical license!”

He started backing up as Doctor Quack got closer, and Ladybug took the opportunity to look for the perfect moment to lasso him with her yo-yo and possibly force him down on his own gurney.

Doctor Quack put his tools away in his pocket and snapped his fingers.  The gurney suddenly zoomed to his side and Doctor Quack mounted it like a horse.

“You know, cats live longer and happier lives if they’re spayed or neutered--”

She couldn’t help it: Ladybug burst out laughing.  Chat Noir’s gaping look of mingled outrage and horror was just too hilarious.

 

“YOU STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!” he shrieked at Doctor Quack, grabbing his own tail and holding it protectively to his chest as his turned around and tore off down the street yelping in terror.  Doctor Quack raced after him on his gurney, swerving dangerously around cars and pedestrians.

Wiping tears of laughter out of her eyes, Ladybug took to the rooftops again and went after them.

Chat Noir used his staff to propel himself up onto another line of buildings, obviously counting on the fact that gurneys couldn’t go up walls.

“Listen, I am all for improving the quality of life of cats everywhere,” Chat Noir yelled down at the Doctor.  “But if you deprive me of the ability to have kids someday, you will be committing a crime against the HUMAN RACE!  I OWE IT TO THE NEXT GENERATION TO PASS ON MY GENES!”

 _Is this guy for real right now?_ she wondered.  If he didn’t sound so hysterical, she would be hard-core shaming him right now, but maybe being threatened with castration gave him the right to rant a little bit.  Besides, she supposed it _would_ be a shame if the next generation was short by two or three young people as attractive as Chat Noir because he couldn’t help make them...

_DON’T continue that train of thought, Ladybug._

With Doctor Quack still distracted by a very offended cat-boy, she figured it was now or never.  Maybe her yo-yo would be enough to get the Doctor restrained enough to force him down, but she decided to play it safe.

“Lucky Charm!”

A red and black-spotted hospital gown fell into her arms.

“Okay, very thematically appropriate, but…”  She scanned her surroundings, assuming that throwing it over Doctor Quack’s head would be too straightforward.  She spotted a mannequin in the window of a nearby boutique, and an abandoned shopping cart around the corner in an alleyway, and it all clicked into place.

Dashing into the boutique and stripping the mannequin of the trenchcoat and hat it was modeling, she dressed it in the hospital gown and carried it outside.  She stood it up in the shopping cart and tied it into place with her yo-yo.  Bringing the other end of her yo-yo with her, she ran past Doctor Quack, drawing his attention.

“Doctor Quack, help!” she cried.  “There’s a sick crazy woman chasing me!”

Two seconds later, the mannequin rattled by, pulled along in the shopping cart by her yo-yo.

“Just keep running, Ladybug!  I’ll have her restrained!”  Doctor Quack came racing after her on his gurney. 

Ladybug skidded to a halt and backflipped over him.  Doctor Quack crashed into the shopping cart, tackling the mannequin to the ground.  Ladybug bound him to the mannequin, which immobilized him completely, including his arms and hands.  She then shoved the both of them onto the gurney, and strapped them into place, with the Doctor on top.

She stood waiting patiently as Chat Noir caught up with them.

“Well, well, well!” Chat Noir drawled, grinning maliciously.  “How the tables have turned!”

“You were more than a little ridiculous, but he _did_ traumatize you a little bit,” Ladybug said sweetly.  “So, I figured I’d let you do the honors.”

“I’m _touched_ , my Lady!” he said, beaming at her.  He turned and _leered_ down at Doctor Quack, grinning evilly.  “Hold still now!  This won’t...hurt...a bit!” 

 _Somebody’s NURSING a bit of grudge…_ she thought, smirking.

“Cataclysm!”

Chat Noir reached out very carefully and pinched the tail of Doctor Quack’s lab coat.  It turned black and dissolved away, along with all of the tools inside it except for the scalpel, which remained intact, though still pitch black until Ladybug flicked it with her finger.  It dissolved into dust, giving up the akuma that had been hiding within.

 

“No more evildoing for you!”

Opening her yo-yo and throwing it with practiced ease, Ladybug captured the akuma and tapped the top of her yo-yo after catching it to release the purified butterfly.  To her surprise, however, it emerged from her yo-yo pastel pink instead of white and sparkling like it was covered in glitter.  Before taking to the sky, it fluttered around Ladybug curiously like a moth drawn to a porch light.  Then, after a moment, it took off, flying away to wherever free butterflies went.

“Whoa!” Chat Noir followed the butterfly with his eyes.  “That’s different!  What did you do?”

“I don’t know,” she said, also watching the butterfly disappear from sight.  “It was acting like...it was attracted to me?”

“Well, I mean, I wouldn’t blame it if that was it, but why, exactly?”

“I captured it and purified it the same way as always!” she said, choosing to not acknowledge his first comment.  “And I don’t think there was anything unusual about the supervillain, either.”

“Do you think it has something to do with the way I used Cataclysm?”

“No, I don’t…oh!” she exclaimed suddenly.  “Oh, no…” she groaned.

“What?  What’s wrong?” Chat Noir asked, sounding worried.

“I think it’s because…” she hesitated, glancing nervously at him.  “It’s because of the...mating cycle.”

There was a moment of silence.  Ladybug’s miraculous beeped its three-minute morning in her ears, and Chat Noir’s beeped its four-minute warning.

“Well, I guess that answers the question I was gonna use to start the conversation,” Chat Noir remarked.  “I was going to ask if you got the same lecture from your kwami that I did from mine.”

“I did, and I know, we should talk about it, but first, I need to feed my kwami.  You’ve got an extra minute on me, so can you look after our doctor?”

“Will do,” he said, nodding.  “I’ll wait for you up there somewhere after I’ve fed my kwami, too,” he said, gesturing to the rooftops above them.

“Great, see you soon!” 

And off she went.

 ~

Marinette sat outside her family’s bakery against the wall as she waited for Tikki to finish eating her cookie.  She was hugging herself around the knees, trying to figure out how this conversation with Chat Noir was going to go.

“I’m really nervous, Tikki!” she whined.  “I don’t know how I’m gonna do this!  It’s so embarrassing!”

Tikki spoke with her mouth full.

“Chat Nwah ish just as embarrashed as you ah, he won’ make fwun of you!”  She swallowed.  “It’s not as if you’re explaining everything about the mating cycle to him; his kwami will have already done that.  You’re just making sure you both know how you’re going to handle it.”

Marinette nodded, trying to take Tikki’s words to heart.

“Yeah...yeah, okay...okay, I can do this…”

“Yes, you can do this!”  Tikki swallowed and floated up to Marinette’s eye level.  “Okay, I’m ready!”

Marinette gulped and stood up.

“Okay, Tikki...um, Transform Me!”

Ladybug found Chat Noir waiting for her where he had been avoiding Doctor Quack earlier.  He was sitting with his arms around his knees, looking lost in thought, until he looked up the moment she appeared next to him.

“Oh, hey, Bug,” he greeted, smiling warmly at her.

 _He really needs to cut back on the pet names…_ she thought, pressing her lips together as her heart did a little bounce.

 

“Uh, hey…”  She laced her fingers together and shifted from side-to-side uncertainly.  “So…”

“So...you...want to take a seat?” Chat Noir asked timidly.

Ladybug bit her lip, hesitating, and then sat down next to him with about an arm’s reach distance between them.

For a while, neither of them said anything or looked at each other.

“So…” Ladybug finally spoke, glancing at Chat Noir out of the corner of her eye.  “How are you...feeling?”

Chat Noir grimaced.  He knew what she was getting at.

“Just about the same as always...pretty much normal,” he answered, shrugging.  He glanced at her.  “You?”

“Uh...same?” she hedged, clenching her jaw.  “Well…”  She winced.  “Hearing from my kwami what the...the cycle is _going_ to do to me was...let’s just say it was a shock…”

“Yeah, same here,” Chat Noir admitted, nodding.

“I try not to think about it, but that just makes me think about it _more_ , and I just…”  She shook her head hopelessly.  “I’m horrified at the idea that this spell could get so powerful that I suddenly...start feeling like _that_ and... _wanting_ things and not being able to _control_ myself!”  She was blushing furiously now, but she felt like finding the words to explain her feelings aloud to Chat Noir might help her feel better.  And, who knew, maybe he could help reassure her.

“All of my thoughts and feelings…”  She paused, trying to find the words.  “They’re all supposed to _come_ from somewhere, you know?  They’re supposed to make some kind of sense because...usually you _know_ why you feel something, so you worry about what’s bothering you instead of the feeling _itself_ , but this…”  She threw her hands up in frustration.  “I’m afraid it’s going to feel like my miraculous is...trying to take over my mind.”

Chat Noir nodded silently in understanding.

“Yeah...I think I know what you mean.”

There was another long silence.  She felt grateful that Chat Noir seemed to understand how she felt but wondered what was on his mind.

“...what are you most worried about?” she asked timidly.  “If you don’t mind telling me, of course.”

He smiled ruefully at her and then appeared to consider his words.

“I…”  He trailed off, and shakily took a breath.  He looked so distressed she had the urge to give him a hug.  She settled for putting a hand on his shoulder.  He looked up in surprise, his brows still furrowed.

“Hey, it’s okay,” she said soothingly.  “You don’t have to tell me.  Just...remember we’re a team, and we’ll get through this together.  Our partnership is too strong and too important to be ruined by something that isn’t our fault.  I wouldn’t...let you do anything to me that I didn’t want you to, and I trust you to do the same with me, all right?”

He chuckled and smiled gratefully at her, patting her hand with his own.

“I know.  I was going to give you my explicit permission to kick my ass if I do anything out of line, anyway, just to be sure.”  His gaze fell to his feet.  “I was scared to _death_ of the idea I might...force myself on you,” he whispered, his voice cracking at his last few words.  She squeezed his shoulder, moved by how emotional he clearly felt about this.

“I swear, I would rather _die_ than consider the thought!” he croaked.  “But the way my kwami was describing how bad my symptoms could get if we saw each other every other day…”  He shook his head, cutting himself off.  “I couldn’t live with myself if anything like that happened...”  He took a deep breath and seemed to relax somewhat.  “Luckily though, my kwami said  he was almost absolutely positive I wouldn’t, when I asked him about it.”

“Even if you felt like you were going _crazy_ with...you know…?” she asked.

“He said that, no matter how bad the symptoms might get, that they can’t change our personalities.  I’d never take advantage of you, and that won’t change even if I feel like...like I’m dying from blue balls or whatever.”

“I see...yeah, I think my kwami mentioned that, too.  But then, are you just going to end up just…suffering in silence, then?” she asked. 

“Uh…”  He looked sheepish and suddenly had a hard time meeting her gaze.  His head shrank down to hide in between his hunched shoulders.

“Okay, you’re not going to try to avoid _that_ one, are you?” she said, raising an eyebrow.  “If you’re not going to do _nothing_ , then what do I need to brace myself for?”

“I’m not trying to avoid the question, it’s just…”  He threw his head back and threw an expression of, _Oh god, why me?_ to the heavens.  “It’s just REALLY embarrassing!”

“I know,” she said sympathetically.  “But it can’t be worse than anything _I_ might have to endure.”

“Actually, it can,” he deadpanned.  He forced himself to look at her.  “My kwami said that, during the last week of the cycle or so, you’re going to start smelling really ‘sweet’ to me.  Well, ‘sweeter than usual,’ he said.  _Me_ , though…”  He winced.

“Are you going to smell...I don’t know, musky?” she guessed.  “Like…whatever _sex_ is supposed to smell like?”

Chat Noir snorted.

“HA!  I wish!” he said.  “No, I’m gonna…”  He screwed his eyes shut and pressed his lips tightly together into a thin line.  Ladybug couldn’t help but lean toward him in curiosity.

“I’m gonna start acting like a cat,” he forced out, his jaw stiff, opening his eyes again.  “Like a cat in _heat_ , my kwami says.”

Ladybug’s eyes bugged out, but she waited for him to elaborate.

“I’m going to...develop a bunch of ‘feline tendencies,’ as my kwami put it,” he said, making quotation marks in the air with his fingers.  “I don’t know if I can even remember all the quirks he listed…meowing, ’caterwauling,’ ‘yowling,’ uh… Oh…”  He squeezed his eyes shut again.  “...‘ _love-biting’…!”_  he squeaked.

Ladybug’s soul emitted a tiny choking sound as it left her body for a moment.

“...‘ _love-biting_ ’?!” she echoed in the world’s softest whimper.  “You’re…!  You’re gonna…?!  You’re gonna try to _bite_ me?!  Why?!”

“Not to _hurt_ you, I’m sure!” he rushed to assure her, waving his hands.  “I don’t even know if I could, because of your suit.  Hurt you, I mean.”

Ladybug could feel her face heating up.  She wasn’t quite sure what ‘love-biting’ meant as it pertained to cats, but if it was anything like what ‘love-biting’ usually meant for humans…”

 _Oh, god_...  

The image of Chat Noir gently but feverishly scraping his teeth against her neck, as he panted against her skin and nuzzled his nose under her jaw…

“Uh...Ladybug?”

She gasped, snapping out of it.

“Uh, sorry!” she squeaked, scratching the back of her.  “Kinda...spaced out for a second, there…”

“Yeah, uh...no problem!” he said, looking like he didn’t quite believe her.

Another stretch of awkward silence…

Chat Noir took a deep breath and let it out with a whoosh, as though bracing himself for something.  Ladybug eyed him nervously.

“So...my kwami told me about...another difference between...how we’re going to be experiencing the mating cycle…” he began haltingly, carefully considering his words.

“I don’t like your tone…” she said slowly, leaning back away from him slightly.  “Is this even worse than you...love-biting my neck?”

Chat Noir turned _bright red_ and tried to withdraw his head between his shoulders like a turtle.  Then he suddenly straightened up again and eyed her curiously, though his face was still red.

“Did I...say that I would be biting your neck specifically…?”

She froze.  Her eyeballs tried desperately to pop out of her sockets to escape the heat of her sudden blush.

“Uh...maybe?”

“O...kay…?”  Once again, it looked like he wasn’t sure if he believed her or not.

“So...what were you saying?” she asked.

“Oh, uh…so, my kwami said that...this whole situation might seem...I guess, either not so bad or worse to each of us depending on...how we...how we saw each other normally, without the mating cycle messing with us.  I mean, I don’t think the mating cycle is going to _change_ how we feel about each other, necessarily...it’s just...going to make us feel _lust_ for each other.  Am I making any sense?” he asked, looking at her nervously.

“I...I think so…” she answered hesitantly.  “You’re...you basically saying that...the mating cycle won’t make us...fall in love with each other by itself, it can only make us feel...sexually-attracted to each other, which isn’t the same thing.  And if...hypothetically...one of us...was already in love with the other, we’d still feel that way, and that might make the mating cycle not seem so bad...or worse, depending how you look at it.  And if we _weren’t_ in love with each other...we’d just feel horny for each other, without the love.  And that might make it seem worse because it would be totally at odds with how we--or they, or whatever--normally felt about the other.  Did...did I get all that right?”

“Yeah, that...makes a nice summary, actually,” he said, managing an approving smile.  “So, here’s the thing about that…”  He seemed to become really nervous again, and let his gaze fall again.  “Even though we _know_ that love and lust aren’t the same thing, we might _forget_ that in the haze of the mating cycle if it gets bad enough.  My kwami didn’t say this,” he added, “But...I thought about it, and now I’m worried about it, because…”  He looked off into space and gestured with his hands hopelessly.  “What if it basically makes me act like I’m slightly drunk?  It’s not just about what I might _do,_ what if I _said_ something that I…that I would ordinarily keep to myself?  I don’t think that I would ever lie to you, even during the mating cycle,” he added, glancing at her.  “I would still _mean_ it, and _believe_ it, but...my timing might be all wrong, or the _way_ I say it might be all wrong...or it might be hard for you to believe me _because_ I would be under the influence of the mating cycle.  You follow?”

Ladybug took a moment to mull over everything he had just said.

“I think so…” she said slowly.  “You’re worried you might say something or do something to make me uncomfortable?  You wouldn’t mean to, but you’re worried how I might take it?”

“Kinda...” he said, dropping his gaze again and rubbing the back of his neck.  “It’s just…”  He looked at her again and turned himself to face her.  Ladybug blinked in surprise.

“I’m almost positive that, if I don’t...tell you now, I’ll end up telling you at a bad time or in a bad way later when I’m not thinking straight.  This isn’t really the best time either, and I’ve been meaning to tell you for...for a while, but I just...never did.”  He kept breaking eye-contact; he was _really_ nervous about this!

Ladybug was feeling really nervous, too, but she wanted to be a good listener, and she really appreciated how honest he was with her, so she tried to look patient and receptive.

“Okay…” she said, nodding.  “Um, I’m listening.”

His eyes were darting around even more, now; his eyes were bugging out a bit more, and his ears even drooped.

“Hey, it’s okay…”  She reached out and patting his hand.  “Whatever it is, I...I’m happy you’re telling me all this.”  She smiled reassuringly.  “I know this has been...a really awkward conversation.”

“Yeah, you can say that again…” he said, grimacing.  “Whew!  Okay…”  He met her eyes again.  He looked...almost like he was nervous enough to cry.

“Oh, _minou_ …” she whispered.  “Come here…”

She lunged forward and dragged him into a hug.  He gasped softly in surprise, and then his arms wrapped themselves her and squeezed her tightly, as if by reflex.

“Are you afraid I’ll be mad?” she asked.  “Or upset?  Is it _bad_ news?”

“No…” he mumbled.  “Not _bad_ news...and I don’t think you’d be _mad_ , but…”  He drew in a shaky breath.  “I’m worried it’ll...make things awkward between us...and I really don’t want that…”

“We’ve already gotten through with talking some pretty awkward stuff,” she pointed out.  “And this mating cycle is going to put us through a lot _more_ awkward stuff whether we want it or not, but we’ll get through it.  You’re worried it’ll be even more awkward if I hear it later, right?”

“Yeah…”  He nodded, and his hair tickled the side of her neck.  Then the hollow behind the corner of her jaw tingled as he sniffed her.

“You smell nice…” he mumbled.  “You always smell nice.”

“Uh...th-thanks…” she mumbled back, blushing.  She had a sudden urge, and she resisted for a few seconds, but she gave in a few seconds later and nuzzled his neck with her cheek, while she took a sniff of her own. 

He smelled like the outdoors, and there was another smell that she didn’t know how to describe; she could only label it as Chat-Noir-boy-smell.  She theorized it was part hair-and-hair-products, part body-wash-and-skin, part natural-musk-of-teenage-boy.  She was pretty sure she had never deliberately smelled him before, but his scent was still familiar, even pleasant if she was being honest.

She felt a tiny shiver go up Chat Noir’s spine at the sensation, and instead of making her feel self-conscious, she felt...pleased with herself, for some reason.  The tiniest of movements, the tiniest of touches from her, and his physical response had been instantaneous, and not stifled in the least.

It deeply intrigued her in a way nothing ever had before.

“...Ladybug…?”

Chat Noir slowly and gently pulled back, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders.  With his face less than thirty centimeters away, she could see his gaze flicking between her eyes and, once, downwards briefly to her lips.

“Ladybug…” he murmured again, “I...I love you.” 

This declaration seemed to take all the breath out of him; he squeezed his eyes shut and took another deep breath.

“You are...the bravest, smartest, most amazing girl I know...and...from the day I met you, I...I’ve only fallen further and further in love with you with...every day I’ve fought by your side.”

He paused to catch his breath again.  Ladybug felt like her head was spinning.

“Saving Paris with you is...always the highlight of my day, honestly, and so…whatever else I end up saying about how I feel about you during the mating cycle, no matter how sappy or...cheesy it sounds…”  He glanced sideways, unable to hold her gaze for too long.  He was blushing harder than she had ever seen him do before, and that it was so obvious to her was saying something, as his mask covered half of his cheeks.

“...there really isn't any way I can think of that I could over-exaggerate how…madly in love I am with you.  So, if you...end up…” His voice was slowly sounding more and more awkwardly stiff and forced.  “Hearing a _lot_ more than you ever wanted to know about what I think about you... I apologize in advance.”

Smiling ruefully at her, he leaned back and finally took his hands off her shoulders.

“Uh, that's it,” he said.  “You don't have to say anything,” he added, holding out a hand.  “I know I just dumped a lot on you...probably a lot more than you needed to hear…”. He grimaced apologetically, his eyes still darting around shyly.  “I wanted to wait for the right moment, but it never seemed to come, so...yeah…”

They sat there in silence for a long moment.  Ladybug was still stunned.

How could she have thought it obvious that he had a crush on her but still be caught by surprise by just _how_ in-love he had been all this time?  How could she not consider that what he felt for her was more than just a boy trying to impress a pretty girl?  He was willing to _die_ for her, and she _knew_ this!  How could she think so little of his feelings?  His good heart was what made him a worthy superhero...a superhero who could be trusted to responsibly wield the power to destroy anything he touched.

This boy in a black cat suit was as golden inside as his hair…and, deep down, she had always known this, too.

Chat Noir heaved himself to his feet, jerking her out her daze.

“Well, I guess we’d better...go our separate ways until next time…” he said hesitantly.  He pivoted maybe fifteen degrees left away from her but lingered, his nervous gaze returning to her face over and over again.

Ladybug had stood up after him, and had now grabbed his wrist without thinking.

“Chat Noir, wait!”

He froze, staring at her curiously.

“What?”

“I…”  Ladybug blinked, feeling lost in her own emotions.  She wanted to say _something_ , after hearing Chat Noir’s heartfelt confession which had churned up a whirlwind of emotions in her.  She really, really didn't want him to go...it felt like letting a great chance slip away…

She searched his face for some clue to what she wanted...he seemed to be doing the exact same thing...once again, his eyes flickered down to her lips, and her attention was instantly captured.  She knew--she _felt_ \--what he was drawn to…

“You want...to kiss me…?” she whispered.

It was barely audible, but she heard him gasp as his eyes snapped to her face.  He pressed his lips together self-consciously into a tight line.  He glanced down at her lips again, and...just barely...nodded.

There was a spark...and something inside her caught fire.  She stepped closer, almost toe-to-toe with him, and thought she heard another intake of breath.

He was spellbound, she realized; open and vulnerable and _wanting_ …

Her hand traveled up his arm to rest at his bicep, her eyes holding him prisoner.

“...kiss me,” she whispered.

His breath left him--she heard it--and she actually saw his cat’s eye pupils dilate for a second.  Slowly... _so_ slowly she almost didn't notice it...his hand came up to hesitantly, tenderly cup her cheek.  He tilted his head slightly as he gazed down at her, as if wondering briefly if this was really happening.  She felt his other hand touch the side of her waist hesitantly...and then slowly, and gently, he wrapped his arm around her waist to scoop her closer by a centimeter.

Then, she almost _sensed_ rather than saw his face coming down to meet hers, and she craned her neck up to catch him, letting her eyes flutter closed at the last moment…

Their lips met for three, maybe four seconds, but time was a meaningless concept in that moment.  It was gentle, and almost shy, with both pairs of lips relaxed but closed, no moving of heads, no urgent pressure...but Chat Noir's lips were warm and soft against hers, and his nose rested just next to hers, and his hand cupped her cheek so tenderly, and he held her so gently...her heart fluttered excitedly and a shiver traveled up her spine, and it was...miraculous.

And so when they naturally began to separate, she knew she wasn't done with him.

She reached up from his arm to cup his jaw and beckon him back down, bringing her other hand up to press against the back of the hand he held against her cheek.  Caught off-guard, he accidentally ended up bumping his nose into Ladybug’s.  Neither of them were deterred; just a slight adjustment of angles, and he was kissing her again.  She could _feel more_ of his lips locked with hers, more open and even warmer and softer than they had felt before.  Both of his arms were now wrapped around her waist to pull her closer, and her own arms had flung themselves around his neck. 

And then, Ladybug heard him ( _felt_ him, even) _moan_ ever-so-softly into her mouth-- _moan!--_ and she felt like her whole body was glowing, her heart racing and burning like the flame of a torch.  He was drowning in her, drowning _with_ her in the heat of the moment, and it was complete and utter bliss.

She had no idea how long _that_ kiss lasted, or how they knew when to finally separate, but it might have been only to catch their breath; she inhaled deeply exactly as she heard him do the same, and they lingered there, gazing blearily at each other, coming slowly out of their trance.

Chat Noir’s hand came back up and stroked her cheek softly, his thumb brushing against her ear.  She was reminded of the earring that was there, one of two miraculouses that had brought them together...and then, finally, she remembered why he had been about to leave in the first place.

“I forgot our kwamis told us not to dawdle…” she murmured, glancing down bashfully.

“Me, too…” Chat Noir mumbled, blinking slowly at her.  “I’m...probably gonna be forgetting that a lot...”

 _...me, too,_ she thought to herself.

She smiled shyly up at him, then suddenly frowned in confusion: she could hear a strange noise, a kind of quiet rumbling or whirring.  It was soft and muffled, but it wasn't coming from far away; it sounded very close by...but they were alone up here.

“Wha’s wr--”. Chat Noir cut himself off and coughed to clear his throat.  His voice had come out curiously distorted, like he had been speaking into the whirring blades of a desktop fan (though without the echo effect).  Frowning, he beat a fist against his sternum, as if to dislodge something in his throat, but only looked confused and slightly worried.

Ladybug pressed a hand against the center of his collarbone, just below the pit of his throat, and felt something _vibrating._  Leaning in very close, she tracked down the sound to somewhere above his Adam's apple in the back of his throat, and it hit her.

“Oh my god, Chat Noir, you're _purring_!”

“ _What_?!” he croaked.  “But I don’t have...whatever it is that cats purr with.  I have a _human_ mouth and throat!”

“Well, somehow, you're still purring!” she said gleefully.  “Remember what you said about you developing ‘feline tendencies’?  This must be one of them!”

Chat Noir continued to look embarrassed for a moment, but then he seemed to cast his worry aside and relax.  He smiled at her, still blushing from their kiss earlier.

“Ah, well…” he sighed.  “I don't mind if it's just _you_ who can make me purr, my Lady.”

Ladybug blushed (or was she still blushing from their kiss?).

“I don’t either,” she admitted.  She looked up at him.  “Listen, I should probably let you go, but, Chat Noir?” 

She took a deep breath and gazed into his eyes, trying to untangle her thoughts. 

“I’m...I’m happy to hear that you…that you love me, Chat Noir…” she stammered.  “I...I wish I knew...how to tell you how I feel…” she continued slowly, her gaze dropping shyly, “Because, honestly….I don’t really know.  I don’t know what to label them.”  She forced herself to look up at him again.  “I just know that I have them, and that some of them are new, and they’re complicated and confusing, and--!”

Chat Noir put a finger to her lips.  He beamed at her, his smile stretched to its greatest width and his eyes shining with so much raw adoration that it took her breath away.

“You don’t have to know,” he murmured.  “Just this, what you’ve given me today...that’s enough to make me the happiest cat in Paris.”  He removed his finger and scratched his temple.  “The mating cycle probably isn’t the best time for figuring out feelings, anyway.  But Ladybug…”

He cupped her face in both of his hands.  Her heart throbbed at this display of tenderness.

“I’m happy to wait as long as you want me to...So, no pressure, my Lady.  I’m already yours.”

“Chat Noir…”  She was at a complete loss for words.

“But…”  He took a shaky breath, and she thought she saw him consider leaning forward.  “If you keep looking at me like that…” he whispered, his purring making his voice raspy, “I won't be able to resist kissing you again.”

_Ow...I feel like my heart has the hiccups..._

“Telling me that doesn't exactly help _me_ resist temptation,” she finally said, “But don't worry, I'm used to being the responsible one,” she teased.

“Maybe I’ll end up ruining that for you,” he mused suggestively, letting her step back out of his embrace.

“We’ll see,” she said vaguely.  She reluctantly took out her yo-yo and turned to head home.  “See you around, _chaton_.”

He waved as she leaped into the air and swung out of sight.

“See you next time, Love-bug,” he whispered.


	5. The Butterfly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens...  
> A little butterfly finds its way back home, its instincts rewritten by a ladybug's spell...

_Saturday_

Something was...different.  Something had gone wrong, somehow.

Whenever Ladybug purified one of his akumas, his empathic connection to it--and his control over it--would be broken, and it wouldn't hunt down any more victims at his command, nor would it return to him of its own volition. 

That wasn't what had happened to this last one.  Sure enough, when it finally came back through the window, his suspicions were confirmed.  It wasn’t pure white, but a pastel pink, glowing and trailing sparkling lights behind it.

Holding out his hand, open palm up, Hawk Moth silently called it to him.  It settled in his hand obediently, and he cupped his other hand over it, focusing on charging it with the dark magic he had given it earlier.  He saw it gather beneath his palm, but when he uncovered the akuma, it remained exactly as before.  The dark magic dissolved uselessly into nothing, and Hawk Moth stared down at it in disgust.

“What in the world have you done, Ladybug?” he demanded, his voice echoing around the cavernous chamber.  His akumas, of course, could offer him no insight, and without emotions of its own, the one in his hand felt no different than the rest; it just clearly wasn't _pure_ , like the rest of them.

Reluctantly, Hawk Moth released his transformation and caught his kwami in his hands.

“Something strange has happened, Nooroo,” he said without preamble.  He nodded towards the pink butterfly, which stuck out like a sore thumb among its white fellows.  “This akuma came back...changed, not purified.”

Nooroo flew over to get a closer look at it, then turned to face his master.

“It isn't charged with _your_ magic, either,” he said.  “If it isn't pure, either, it must be charged with Ladybug’s power, somehow.”

“Oddly enough, I had gathered as much myself,” Gabriel replied icily.  “But how?  Why this time?”

“Master, what is the date?” Nooroo asked.

“Saturday, September 3rd,” answered Gabriel automatically.  “But what does that have to do my akumas, or Ladybug’s powers?”

“I’ll explain if I’m right,” Nooroo said.  “What was the date the _last_ time you sent an akuma?”

“...August 31st,” he answered after a moment’s thought.  “A Wednesday.  Why?”

“Ah,” Nooroo nodded, looking thoughtful.  “That makes sense...”  He came floating back towards his master.  “Master, today was the first time you sent out an akuma _since_ September 1st, this year.  September 1st was the day Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared, and so it's been a year now since they first received their powers.”

“And this is all significant because ...?” Gabriel pressed, staring the kwami down impatiently with his eyebrows raised.

“Their mating cycle has just begun, Master,” Nooroo answered.  “In order to help protect Ladybug during this time, her miraculous must have enhanced her powers and charged the purified akuma with _her_ magic instead of yours, to prevent the threat to her from returning.  Until the mating cycle is over, this will probably happen to every akuma she purifies.”

“Seeing as you somehow neglected to mention this _mating cycle_ until now,” Gabriel said, his voice hinting at his slowly rising temper.  “Maybe you’ll take this opportunity to explain it!”

“Only Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s kwamis know all about how it works, Master,” Nooroo replied apologetically.  “But for thirty days, Ladybug and Chat Noir will be powerfully attracted to each other, and find it almost impossible to resist the urge to copulate with one another.  Any children they bear would be more likely to be worthy of bearing their parents’ miraculouses, if Ladybug and Chat Noir fall protecting their people.”

Gabriel snorted in disbelief.  As if the typical teenager needed _more_ encouragement to fall prey to their human instincts, emotional and reckless as they tended to be…

“As long as their so-called mating cycle doesn't affect my ability to make supervillains, I see no reason to change my approach,” he remarked.  “I have _hundreds_ of akumas at my disposal; Ladybug could spoil two of them a day, and I’d still have dozens to spare after only thirty days.  If anyone is going to be inconvenienced, it's going to be Ladybug and Chat Noir themselves.”

“If that was the only way you’d be affected, then you’d be right, Master,” Nooroo admitted.  “But as the akumas keep coming back to you carrying Ladybug’s magic, they might start to have adverse effects on _you_.  We have no way of knowing what could happen!”

“I’m not going to put my entire mission on hold for a month because some ‘adverse effects’ might happen!” Gabriel snapped, the room amplifying his voice to a roar.  “Especially when this could be when Ladybug and Chat Noir are at their most vulnerable!”

“But Master, they _won't_ be more vulnerable; they'll be incredibly protective of each other, and possibly more aggressive towards the supervillains you send after them, even more in tune with each other's movements!  They may be harder to defeat than they ever have before.”

“I’ll let the results of my future battles with them speak for themselves,” Gabriel said firmly.  “I don't care to hear about your theories if you have no evidence for them.”

And with that, he turned and strode out of the room, shutting the window hatch and plunging Nooroo and the butterflies into total darkness.


	6. When I Think About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette returns home for the afternoon, and loses herself in the strange new memory of sweet, sweet kisses...what does this special moment say about her feelings? And what should she do if she can't resist the urge to kiss him again? Tikki lends a wise and compassionate ear, but warns Marinette about a particularly mortifying symptom yet to come with her heat.  
> Adrien drowns in the memory of Ladybug's kiss and lets his fantasies of her sweep his love-addled brain into the gutter. Plagg decides Adrien could use a reminder of what he risks getting himself into, but maybe not until after Adrien takes care of some much needed business...

Saturday

Ladybug dropped down through her trapdoor into her bedroom and released her transformation.  She sprawled out on top of her bed, staring up at the hatch, and brought the back of her hand up to her mouth.  Her lips tingled again at the memory of kissing Chat Noir, and her heart throbbed inside her chest.

Marinette tried to think back to the moment leading _up to_ the first kiss, to remember what her train of thought had been.  She remembered seeing his eyes flickering to her lips, and feeling a rush of...boldness?  Excitement?  Desire?  She was drawn in by Chat Noir’s longing, spellbound expression and his unspoken (but obvious) wish to kiss her, tempted to grant him his desire to see how it would _affect_ him, and what it would _feel_ like.  The fact that she was love with Adrien and longed to kiss _him_ someday hadn’t mattered at all in that moment...all that had mattered was her and Chat Noir, and the promise of something strange and new and delightful if she gave into temptation.

And, oh, had it indeed been incredible.  She couldn’t even muster up the will to deny it.  She wasn’t sure exactly what she had expected kissing Chat Noir to be like, but it wasn’t what she received: he hadn’t tried to blow her mind with kissing proficiency that he probably didn’t have, nor had it taken several awkward and clumsy attempts to line up their mouths properly, as she might have expected from a boy with no previous kissing experience.  He had gone in slowly and carefully...to make sure their first kiss was a good one, maybe?  And the tenderness with which he had cupped her cheek...how could she _not_ be touched by such a gesture?   And the way he looked at her, she swore he was drowning in her eyes.  

There was no feeling of desperation, no sense of urgency, no greed for more...his kiss was soft, and gentle, and tender, and sweet...even _reverent_ ...it was everything a first kiss should be, and it flooded her with a feverish heat she had never felt before.  And so, when they found themselves separating, she had felt herself craving more.  She had pulled him in again, resulting in the clumsy bump that almost caused her to giggle out loud (Because this was _them_ and they were actually _doing this!_ ), but she had simply adjusted the tilt of her head and found his lips again, allowing her new-found feelings of passion to drive her kiss, let him _feel_ her desire as she parted her lips just slightly against his.  Her blood had been simmering with heat and her heart had felt like it was swelling with delight, and then, when he moaned, she had felt a heady _rush_ of satisfaction.  He _craved_ what she did to him; he let her _drown_ him without shame.  She had never felt so _desirable_ before _,_ so _powerful_ even while she let herself fall.

 _Could Chat Noir actually be a romantic at heart?_ she wondered.

“Hey, Tikki?” she called softly.  “It’s true that the mating cycle doesn’t change our personalities, no matter how bad the symptoms get, right?”

“Yes,” Tikki responded, flying up from below to talk to Marinette from where she could be seen.  “It just adds to your reproductive instincts and amplifies your sexual responsiveness.  Well, that and a few side effects.  Did Chat Noir tell you about those, from his kwami?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, nodding.  “His side effects are the feline tendencies, right?”

“Right!” Tikki confirmed, smiling.

“So...what about _my_ side effects?” Marinette asked nervously.  “ _He_ said that his _kwami_ said that I’m going to start to smell really…’sweet’?”

“Ah…”  Tikki’s smile became nervous, and possibly embarrassed.  “Yes, that’s true…”

Marinette squinted suspiciously at Tikki; her tone of voice sounded evasive.

“There’s more to it, isn’t there?” she said.  “Tell me, Tikki…”

“I will, I will!” Tikki said quickly, waving her little paws at Marinette.  “I won’t hide anything from you, Marinette, I just...know that this is going to embarrass you a lot…”

“Oh.”  Marinette gulped.  “Well...I’m gonna find out either way, so you might as well tell me now so at least I know what’s coming.”

“I know.”  Tikki sighed.  “Later in the cycle, Chat Noir’s sense of smell is going to get a lot more sensitive, especially to you.  In conjunction to that, you’re going to...um, become much more ‘wet’ than usual for you, as you would say...much more easily, too.”

Marinette’s eyes bugged out so far that they went crossed for a moment.

“Um…!”  Her voice was barely more than a strangled croak.  “You’re saying, like... _aroused_ w-w-wet?!   _WHY?!_ ”

“To attract Chat Noir,” Tikki said, frowning apologetically.  “Because his sense of smell will be enhanced, he’ll be able to smell it on you.”

Marinette’s jaw dropped open in horror and started to tremble.

“...Why?” she croaked.  “ _Why?_ What have I done to deserve this?  Tikki, I’m going to _die of embarrassment!_ ”

“It’s not possible to die of embarrassment...even if it starts to feel that way sometimes,” Tikki said sympathetically.  “If it helps, just remember that Chat Noir is going to feel just as embarrassed as you, even if he isn’t suffering the same side effects.  Just imagine what it would be like if you could _smell_ exactly how aroused Chat Noir was just by being close to you.”

“YES, I’M SURE IT’S EMBARRASSING!” Marinette squeaked hysterically.  “I’M _ALREADY_ EMBARRASSED AS _HELL_!  CHAT NOIR IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO SMELL MY PANTIES FROM HOWEVER-MANY-YARDS AWAY!!”

“I’m sorry, Marinette…” Tikki said sadly.  “I wish there was something I could do to keep the cycle from happening...but all I can do is tell you how to minimize your symptoms.  And I’m sorry to say that kissing him today is going to speed up the process a bit.  Not by much, but it adds up quickly, and the further along you get, the harder it’ll get to resist.”

“I know…” Marinette sighed.  “And I didn’t exactly try my hardest to _not_ kiss Chat Noir...I just really wanted to...see what it felt like.  And I guess his confession really got to me...it was just...incredible to hear how strong his feelings were, and to _see_ him... _want_ to kiss me so badly.”

“I know.  I understand,” Tikki said, smiling kindly.  “You care for him very, very much...you love him, even if it isn’t the same way he loves you.”

Marinette blushed, thinking back to the rush of emotions that seemed to flood every vein and nerve in her body as she kissed Chat Noir.  Could all of that really be the result of normal human instinct amplified by the mating cycle?  They were only halfway through the first week...and if the cycle truly couldn’t change her personality, than why had she been so willing to kiss him if she only saw him as her partner and dear friend?  She had started feeling strange around him even _before_ the mating cycle had supposedly started...so, did that mean she had already been attracted to him?

Her natural reaction was to adamantly deny it; she loved _Adrien!_   _Adrien_ was her one true love!  He just didn’t know it yet because she hadn’t told him she loved him...right?

“Tikki, if the mating cycle doesn’t change my personality, then how can I be attracted to Chat Noir if I’m already in love with Adrien?”

“Marinette, it’s absolutely possible to be in love with more than one person at the same time!” Tikki said cheerfully.  “And you’re not in an exclusive relationship with either of them, so it isn’t as if you’re being unfair to either of them!  Why, Chat Noir doesn’t even _know_ about Adrien, and you haven’t told Adrien how you feel, either, so you aren’t doing anyone any harm.”

Marinette frowned, pondering Tikki’s words.  She supposed she should be comforted by what Tikki said, but her feelings felt way too complicated to be sorted out overnight.  Besides, how _could_ she sort out her feelings if the mating cycle was messing with her head?  Maybe there was no point in worrying too much or trying too hard until the cycle was over.

Besides, there was a more immediate problem that had just occurred to her.

“Actually, Tikki…” she began hesitantly.  “I _know_ giving into temptation is a bad idea and will only make the cycle worse, but…”  She bit her lip and looked up at Tikki guiltily.  “To be honest...w-when I see him again…”  Her voice grew smaller and softer with every word.  “I think...I’m gonna want to...k-kiss him again.”  She could feel herself blushing.  “Whatever my feelings for him might be, I...r-really, um…”

Tikki smiled in understanding.

“You really liked kissing him,” she finished for her gently.  “It felt good, right?  That’s normal, even without the mating cycle affecting you.”  She floated closer to Marinette, who held out her hands to let Tikki sit in them.  “I know you understand the risks, and you have a good head on your shoulders, Marinette.  There’s nothing wrong with craving intimacy; I just don’t want you to suffer more symptoms than you have to, or end up doing anything you’d regret later.  In the end, I know you’ll do whatever feels right to you.  As long as you two come out of this okay, I’ll be happy.”

Marinette smiled at Tikki gratefully.

“Thanks, Tikki,” she said.  “I’m really glad I have you with me to support me and help keep me grounded.  I know we’ll make it through this thing one way or another; I just wish I could understand my own feelings.”

 

“I believe in you, Marinette!” Tikki said, gesturing encouragingly with a paw.  “And it’s all right if you can’t figure out your feelings; _thinking_ about Chat Noir won’t affect the mating cycle, so don’t worry about fantasizing about him or dreaming about him.  Besides, the harder you try to _not_ think about him, the more intrusive thoughts you’ll have about him, anyway.”

Marinette pouted, but knew from experience that Tikki was right.

“And, who knows?” Tikki added.  “Maybe you’ll learn something new about yourself…” she said mysteriously.

“‘Learn something’?” Marinette echoed, raising an eyebrow in confusion.  “What do you mean?”

“If you _are_ attracted to Chat Noir, and you just don’t know it yet, then the mating cycle might help you realize it.”

“What?!” Marinette asked incredulously.  “How can the mating cycle _help_ me understand my feelings?  It infects me with abnormal amounts of lust!  How will I know if the attraction is caused by the cycle or not?  Won’t it just _confuse_ me?”

“Love and lust aren’t the same thing,” Tikki reminded her.  “Maybe the intensity of your attraction won’t be accurate, but the way you _interpret_ it can only come from you.  Think with you head as well as your heart, and you’ll figure it out.  I know you can!”

Marinette smiled and brought Tikki up to her face to place a tiny kiss on the kwami’s tiny head.

“Thank you, Tikki.  I’m not sure I understand, but...l’ll try to remember that.”

Tikki nodded and beamed at her.

“I guess I’ll try to get some homework done before dinner,” Marinette mused aloud.

“Good idea,” Tikki said, taking to the air again.  “Oh, but one more reminder, Marinette…”

“What?”

“Any time you start to feel overwhelmed by your symptoms, masturbating can help take the edge off for a while, so keep that in mind, too, okay?”

Marinette sat down in her computer chair robotically, her face going stony.

“Sure, Tikki,” she said tonelessly.  “Thanks, Tikki.  I’m gonna get _so_ much homework done, because your advice will help my concentration _so_ much!”

Tikki giggled nervously.

“Sorry!” she chirped.  “Just trying to help!  You do know it’s completely natural to--”

“I KNOW, TIKKI!!!”

 ~

Once Adrien had made it back to his room, all he could say was, “...she kissed meeee…!” before his legs seemed to turn into jelly and he had flung himself onto his bed.  Now he was lying spread-eagled across his bed, his arms wrapped tightly around his pillow.  He wore a dazed, dreamy expression, his giddy smile blooming into a goofy grin every five minutes or so as he stared at the ceiling.  Twice, now, he had suddenly rolled over onto his side and buried his face into his pillow to muffle the sounds of his giggling and what Plagg could only describe as _keening_ (it had the same tone as the “Awwww!” one might emit at the sight of a tiny kitten, but sounded like, “Hnnnng!” through the mass of the pillow).

It wasn't like Plagg expected a reaction any _less_ intense than this from Adrien after being granted a kiss from his lady-love--he could just relish his Camembert and leave the boy to his lovesick thoughts--but it had been over an hour, now, and he felt that Adrien could benefit from a reminder of why kissing Ladybug _wasn't_ the best idea right now.

“You _do_ realize,” Plagg spoke up, “That if you two start making a habit of staying after a mission to kiss, you’ll end up wanting to scent-mark every inch of her body before the second week is even out?”

Adrien whipped his pillow away from his face and sat up to locate Plagg, who was sitting on the headrest of his computer chair.

“Uh, excuse me, but what do you mean by ‘scent-mark’?!” he asked nervously.

“Oh, you know, anything that will make her smell like you,” Plagg replied offhandedly.  “Nuzzling her, rubbing against her, petting her all over, licking her, love-biting her neck…”

“Oh god…!”  Adrien hid his face in the depths of his pillow again.  His imagination was pulling up vivid fantasies for every intimate act Plagg listed, and he could already tell he would be jacking off tonight to many more fantasies of everything he dreamed of doing with Ladybug.

He lowered his pillow and looked imploringly at Plagg.  “I couldn't resist her, Plagg, the way she was looking at me…!  The way she _whispered_ ...she _wanted_ me to kiss her!  She _asked!_ ”  He let out a moan, squeezing his pillow in a death-grip.  He stared into space, recalling the blush on her face, the desire in her eyes, the way her lips parted ever-so-slightly as she looked at him…

 _Oh god, her lips…_  

If there was anything in this world more warm and soft and supple than her lips, it could only be some other part of Ladybug that he had yet to touch with his bare skin.  Just the thought of holding her bare hand in his, with their fingers intertwined, made his heart feel like it was being gently squeezed by a warm hand, because he had never known the touch of her bare skin at all; he never would, until they were somehow able to meet without a pair of masks to separate them.

Until that day, if and when it came, he could only dream…and it was tortuously easy; Ladybug’s supersuit covered almost everything, but at the same time showed off her every curve.  In the year since they had met, Ladybug had grown a good few centimeters, and her curves had filled out subtly, granting the world a peek of the woman she would become.  Oh, she was still slender in shape, and somewhat petite in size, but the sway of her hips as she walked didn't use to hypnotize him nearly as much as it did now.

And now, at last, he knew what it was like to kiss her…!

_“Kiss me…”_

His heart had throbbed so hard, it was like it had been pressed up against his ribs for a second.  She had never looked at him like that before...it was like seeing his own longing reflected back at him.

When their lips met, he could swear he felt his heart shiver behind his sternum, and he felt a tiny whimper almost escape his throat.  Their heads and lips were still, and yet his lips tingled where they pressed gently against hers.  It was _magical_ …

And then--!  And then, just when it seemed the moment was reaching its natural conclusion, _another_ miracle happened:  she caught hold of him and drew him back in!  And (after a clumsy smoosh of noses) then her lips found his again, and pressed against his with a desire he could _feel..._ it felt like _his_ passion for _her_ being mirrored _back to him_ !  It sent _shockwaves_ through him, made his blood _simmer_ with heat.  Her lips were SO SOFT and he could almost TASTE HER and it just felt so incredible, he had _moaned into her mouth_ before he even knew it was coming.

In conclusion, no dream or fantasy of kissing Ladybug that he had dreamed in the past could compete with the real thing, let alone what it _did_ to him.

And, oh, if this would prove true for every other intimate touch between them that he could imagine…!

What would it feel like to kiss her in _other_ places?  To nuzzle his way under her chin and bury his nose behind her jaw and nibble at the warm skin under her ears and behind the corners of her jaw.  She would smell _so good_ , and taste _so sweet_ ...but he wouldn’t linger there for too long; he would slowly trace a meandering trail of small, moist kisses down her neck and then press his lips into the pit of her throat (in his fantasies, her suit never got in the way), all while holding her close so that he could feel her every physical reaction against him, and hear every sound that escaped her in his ear...oh, god, what would she _sound like_?  Would she try to keep herself quiet, uttering only breathy gasps and the softest murmurs?  Would she eventually relax and let him hear her squeaks and moans?  Would she wrap her arms around him?  Weave her fingers into his hair?  Bury her face in his neck or shoulder as she clung to him?  

Ladybug’s forwardness when she had told him to kiss her earlier proved to Adrien a theory that he had had for a while about what kind of a lover she was:  While he was sure that she was just as susceptible to nerves and bashfulness as he was due to lack of experience (she was definitely about his age, so he assumed they were both new to this game called love), he also felt that she was a girl who, when she felt sure of herself and knew what she wanted, she wouldn’t be afraid to _tell_ him what she wanted, and by god, he’d do _anything_ for her if it pleased her!

He recalled instances when she had scratched him under the chin, rung his bell, pet him on the head, and scratched behind his black cat ears for a job well done...yes, she may have already picked up on the fact that he had a thing for praise from his Lady.  She was certainly clever and observant enough.  In fact…she could probably map out every sensitive spot on his body--even ones he didn’t even know he had--and reduce him to a puddle of goo in minutes.

Adrien squealed into his pillow again and let himself flop backwards on his bed.  

“Oh, just get it over with!” Plagg grumbled.  “I’ll just stay over here and watch TV while you do your thing, and then maybe you’ll be able to do something productive after you eat dinner...like homework...or a shower...or sleeping, anything besides just writhing over there!”

Adrien took his pillow off his face to glare at Plagg.

“I’ll fantasize about Ladybug and writhe all I want, thank you!” he grumbled.  “And if you want to watch TV, help yourself!” he added.  “Nobody’s stopping you!”

“Suit yourself,” said Plagg apathetically.  “Just remember, it’s the only way to take the edge off without involving Ladybug and making your symptoms develop faster.”

“I know…” Adrien sighed grudgingly.  “And I’m not trying to be stubborn or anything, it’s just…”  He winced.  “Jerking off twice or more in the span of two or three hours seems a _little_ excessive, don’t you think?”

Plagg’s response was accompanied by a bored, almost disgusted stare.

“For you, while you’re in heat?  Not really, no.” he answered dryly.  “Even if it was, you’re gonna have to get over it: by the last week, you could be getting off six or seven times a day and _still_ feel like you’ll shrivel up on the inside if you don’t rut Ladybug like the cat in heat you are.”

Adrien gaped at Plagg and turned bright red in horrified mortification.  He uttered a choked squawking sound like a chicken being grabbed by the neck.

“Just giving it to you straight, kid,” Plagg said, devoid of pity.  “And by the time _your_ symptoms get that bad, _Ladybug_ will be in just as much agony.”

Adrien groaned.  

 _I’m screwed!_ he thought.   _We’re BOTH screwed!  If Ladybug actually ends up wanting me as much as I want her all the way through the cycle, and things keep escalating between us, how are we supposed to help each other resist temptation?!  If she wants to kiss me again the next time we see each other, I will NOT be able to stop myself from giving in!  I’d give her ANYTHING and EVERYTHING she wanted of me..._

These thoughts only served to reactivate the fantasizing part of his brain again, and Adrien didn’t have enough willpower left to redirect his attention again.

Had Ladybug picked up on how weak he was for her, from their kiss?  Probably...but would she put this knowledge to use the next time they saw each other?  If she had their best interests in mind, the smart answer would be no, but hell if he didn’t _really_ want to see what she could do to him!  Did this make him a masochist?  Eh, if it was for Ladybug, that was fine:  she could inflict as much sweet torture on him as she wanted.  And if she decided to show him no mercy next time… _oh_ , how would she _destroy_ him…?

She wouldn’t stop at just kissing him breathless, _oh no_ ...she would press her hands against his chest so she could steer him towards the nearest wall and pin him against it before she kissed him _senseless_ .  All he could do was concentrate on not passing out from lack of oxygen intake as she kissed him _hungrily, greedily_ , with _reckless abandon_ and _no restraint,_ as he did his _damndest_ to match her pace and level of passion.  She would let her hands wander freely, pressing and sliding up and down his torso and clutching at his biceps and shoulders.  Or maybe her hands would make their way all the way up to cup his face, or weave her fingers into his hair.   _His_ fingers would be buried in her gorgeous black hair, claws gently scratching against her scalp...or desperately clutching at her hips as she pressed and squirmed against him.

Oh, the _sounds_ she would get out of him...and the sounds he might coax out of _her_ ...soft grunts and murmurs, _delicious_ moans and whimpers of pleasure, _whines_ of longing…!  Once she had them both gasping for breath, she wouldn’t be content to linger; she would let her lips trail lower, sprinkling kisses down his throat, until she found her path impeded by the neck of his suit…

Adrien happened to know that the bell at his throat could be pulled down to unzip his suit, but only because he had gotten curious one day and tried it.  Ladybug probably hadn’t had reason to wonder whether his zipper worked before, but now (in his fantasy) that it was the only thing between her and more of his bare skin, she would take hold of his bell in one hand and tug it slowly down, trailing her other hand’s fingertips down his chest and a trail of kisses in their wake.  He would watch her, hypnotized, as her face sank slowly down, his hands resting in her hair or at her waist, his breath coming rapidly in shallow pants.   As her lips reached the end of their track and she got down on her knees, she would look up at him, her eyes smouldering and her smile warm but mischievous…because she knew exactly what she was doing to him.

Adrien stifled a groan and winced slightly; a semi in skinny jeans was uncomfortable even in its earliest stages of arousal.  He turned to look at Plagg, who was eyeing him expectantly with raised eyebrows.  Adrien tried to look nonchalant in spite of his obvious embarrassment.

“Hey, Plagg...think you can, uh...disappear for a bit?” he asked sheepishly.

Plagg looked like he wanted to tease him, but he only said, “No problem,” and headed for the loft.

Adrien gave silent thanks for his kwami’s unusual show of consideration as he made quick work of undoing his belt.

_If I’m really going to end up as wound-up as Plagg said, at least he won’t make fun of me for it._

Shoving his pants and boxer briefs down below his hips, Adrien took himself in hand and carefully reconstructed his fantasy with Ladybug to pick up where he had left off.

_He took a deep breath and managed to stammer, “W-what have I done lately for you to spoil me, my Lady?”_

_Ladybug looked up at him coyly, rubbing circles into his hip bones._

_“Maybe you didn’t_ have _to do anything,” she said.  “Maybe I just_ felt _like spoiling my kitty.”_

_Slowly, she rose up, leaving a tingling trail up his torso with her lips.  His breath shuddered in his chest as she stood, cupping his cheek with one hand and running a finger along the V of his hip…_

“Ladybug…”

_“L-ladybug…!”_

_...She leaned into him, pressing a scorching kiss under his jaw and cupping him in her right hand, stealing his breath away in an instant.  He reached towards her with trembling hands to pull her in for a kiss, but she put a finger to his lips._

_“Shhh…” she whispered, sending sparks shooting through his veins with every movement of her hand.  “Just relax...and let me ravish you.  Okay, kitty?”_

_“I’m...y-yours to ravish, m-m-my Lady...” he gasped.  He settled his hands on her hips and trembled under her touch.  “As long as...I can do the same for you…?”_

_“Of course,” she murmured, gazing deeply into his eyes.  “I want you, too, Chat Noir, later.  You’ll let me feel your love, too, won’t you?”_

Adrien let out a strangled moan as he stoked himself closer and closer towards his release.  He closed his eyes and imagined it was Ladybug’s hand that was sending sparks shooting through him.  He tried to picture her expression as she watched him unravel:  her eyes would be dark and intense with desire, making him feel naked and exposed by her heated gaze alone.  She would be wearing a soft but mischievous smile, her lips parted just slightly and her chest heaving just enough to show her slightly-breathless excitement.  

He briefly wondered--as he often did--how accurately his fantasies reflected the ways she might really express her passion.  Did he know her well enough to guess how she might look at him, how she might touch him, what she might say?  He wanted so, so badly to know!  He knew he shouldn’t assume, or even hope, that the mating cycle might be the time she finally came to him and embraced his love for her...but she had _kissed him!_  She said she had _feelings_ for him!  She said his love made her _happy!_  How could he _not_ hope that maybe she was finally beginning to fall for him?  She had _kissed him!_  He had no way of knowing for sure, but somehow it just didn’t seem like Ladybug at all to kiss someone she didn’t feel something something like love for...not like _that_.

Holding onto the memory of her lips moving against his, he pumped himself frantically as he groped around blindly with his other hand for the tissue box on the corner of his desk.  Yanking five or six tissues free, he held them at the ready in a wad by his side as he panted over the finish line.

A thin moan escaped him as he came, muscle spasms sending a great shudder up his spine and causing his toes to curl briefly.  Once he had spent himself into the tissues, he lay there for a moment to catch his breath, blinking blearily at the ceiling.  Eventually, he pulled his underwear and pants back on, and, after standing to throw the tissues away, he buckled his belt again.

He didn’t feel any different than he normally did after taking care of himself, so Adrien assumed he wasn’t on his way to needing to masturbate more often than usual as a result of his symptoms worsening, the way Plagg had described.  But if the only way to keep his symptoms from worsening was to minimize his contact with Ladybug, and he couldn’t bring himself to do so…

“Hey, um...Plagg?” Adrien called.  “If we assume a supervillain appears every other day at most, like you said, but Ladybug and I minimize contact with each other as much as possible, how bad will our symptoms be by the end of the mating cycle?”

Plagg came flying down from the loft, satisfied that Adrien was done “taking care of business”.

“Hmm, good question…” he mused.  “Every Chat Noir and Ladybug are different, so the mating cycle won’t affect them all exactly the same way.”

“Well, I’m just asking about us two,” Adrien said.  “Knowing me the way you do, and knowing what you know about how the mating cycle works, what do you think my symptoms will be like if I do everything I can to keep them from getting worse?”

Plagg held a paw to his mouth thoughtfully.  Adrien waited with his jaw clenched nervously.

“Well, you’ll have to deal with all of the feline tendencies no matter what, but the urges won’t be as strong as they will _if you and Ladybug keep smooching_ …”

Adrien pouted, but kept his mouth shut.

“And you’ll probably end up masturbating more often than usual because you’ll be fantasizing about Ladybug more than usual…”

 _Again, is it even POSSIBLE to fantasize about her even more than I already do?_ Adrien wondered.

“And, in general, you’ll just be even more attracted to her than usual,” Plagg concluded.  “Actually,” he added, “I should specify…”

“Call me ignorant or naive or whatever,” Adrien interjected before he could stop himself, “But I just can’t imagine being attracted to her any more than I already am...I already love her with every fiber of my being!”

“As I was _about_ to say,” Plagg said, powering on, “I should specify that you’ll be more _sexually_ attracted to her than usual.  The mating cycle can’t make you _fall in love_ any more than you already have; it can only amplify your sexual instincts and responses to each other.”

“That’s exactly what Ladybug and I thought!” Adrien exclaimed.  “Love and lust aren’t the same thing, and the mating cycle can only amplify lust!  Am I right, Plagg?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Plagg replied.  “So, if you follow my advice to the letter, you’ll want Ladybug more than usual, and you’ll act like a cat in heat, but it won’t overwhelm you.”

“But if I don’t resist the mating cycle…”

“You’ll want Ladybug so badly you won’t be able to think straight about anything else,” Plagg finished for him.  “Any time you’re with her, you’ll intoxicate all five of each other’s senses and find it almost impossible _not_ to give in and start having crazy amounts of sex until the cycle wears off.  And any time you’re _not_ with her,” he continued, talking over Adrien’s squeak of horrified embarrassment, “You’ll literally ache with longing and sexual frustration, and you won’t be able to rest until you find Ladybug again.”

Adrien’s shoulders hunched up around his head as his face fell.  There was nothing appealing about what Plagg was describing; it was almost frightening.  At the same time, however, he couldn’t forgot how irresistibly drawn to each other they had been...and he still couldn’t deny that he was helpless to resist Ladybug’s desire.

“Plagg...I don’t _want_ to let the mating cycle drive us crazy, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop it…” Adrien said, staring at Plagg hopelessly.   “Honestly...if Ladybug can’t resist the mating cycle any better than I can, we’re probably just going to end up slowly giving in...and I’m not saying that to shrug off responsibility onto her!  I just…!”  He sighed.  “I already love her, and want her so much...that if she wants me, too...if she loves me, too...I’ll just end up giving in to her.”

Plagg heaved a deep sigh.

“I was afraid you were gonna say that…” he grumbled.  “Well...if it can’t be helped, it can’t be helped.  Look, Adrien…”

Plagg came closer to look Adrien more directly in the face.  Adrien held out his cupped hands and Plagg settled down to seat himself in them.

“I’m not telling you to resist the mating cycle because it’s bad,” Plagg said.  “I’m telling you so you can keep your symptoms mild so that you don’t have to be miserable.  If you and Ladybug don’t feel ready to _do_ the _whole do_ , then you shouldn’t have to feel forced into it.  On the other hand...if you two really want each other in that way, and the mating cycle is just what urges you to come together...it wouldn’t be a bad thing, even if it caught you two by surprise, right?”

Adrien blushed at the mention and thought of he and Ladybug “doing the whole do,” but smiled at Plagg.  Because the small-but-wise kwami was right:  his partnership with Ladybug was unshakeable, and nothing that might happen as a result of the mating cycle could ever change that.

“So then...what should I do?” Adrien asked, his brow furrowing again.  “I don’t want us to have to fight against our feelings, but...I don’t want Ladybug to end up doing anything she might regret because we both get carried away.”

“So you’re mostly worried about Ladybug?” Plagg asked.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Adrien said, smiling wryly.  “I mean…”  He scratched his cheek nervously.  “I...already feel like I belong to her, but she doesn’t know exactly how she feels about me, so this whole thing with the mating cycle is probably going to make her feel really confused.”

“So, how do you want to play this?” Plagg asked, tilting his head.

Plagg made it sound like such a simple decision, but how was it simple?  Adrien tried to focus on what was most important: how could he best support Ladybug?  How would _she_ prefer they approach this?

“I want to hear how _she_ wants us to deal with this,” Adrien said finally.  “Next time I see her, I’ll ask her how I can help her stay true to her feelings.  She can take the lead, but I’ll keep an eye out for her.”

“Okay, that works,” Plagg said nonchalantly.  “Just try to get your serious talk over with before you get distracted with smooching.”

“I know, I know…” Adrien said with a laugh.  “If I don’t see her for a while, our symptoms won’t be much worse by the next time we see each other, right?”

“Yup,” Plagg said, floating up into the air again.  “But if Hawk Moth keeps churning out a supervillain every other day, you two won’t be able to stay away from each other enough to keep the mating cycle from getting rough.”

“So Hawk Moth gets to be an even bigger problem than usual!” Adrien groaned, rolling his eyes.  “That’s just great!”


	7. Fallin' For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien finds himself both irresistibly drawn to Marinette's scent and dismayed at his apparently-weakening inhibitions regarding social conventions and personal space around her. Neither Nino nor Alya fail to take notice, and Chloe ends up causing a scene. If only he knew what a thrill his increased closeness brings Marinette! But what do Nino and Alya know that he doesn't? And how can he perform so well at basketball tryouts when he's been a useless mess during class?  
> During lunch period, Marinette takes some time to give herself a hand as she fantasizes about Adrien...only for Chat Noir to invade her fantasies. When she finds herself wanting to share more with her partner, she realizes she might just be falling for him

_Sunday, September 4 th_

Marinette slept in Sunday morning until 11 AM, and then worked on homework until 2 PM, when Alya came over to hang out for the afternoon.

Adrien became the first topic of conversation.

“He may not realize it yet, but Adrien is beginning to fall for you, I _know_ it!” Alya said excitedly.  “Your big reunion on our first day back was just the beginning!  What you need to do is find subtle ways to show him that you enjoy his attention so he’ll keep upping his game, and when it looks like he ready to start making a move to win your heart, _you_ can start making a move on _him_!  After that, it’s only a matter of time before one of you confesses to the other!  It’s a win-win!”

“That...all makes sense, I guess…” Marinette said slowly.  “But it sounds like I still need to stay cool around Adrien, and that’s a skill I still need to improve.  And if anything goes wrong, he could end up freaking out and hating me!”

“Girl, he’s _not_ gonna hate you!  You couldn’t _make_ him hate you even if you wanted to!  If _Adrien_ started acting all awkward because he was trying to put the moves on you, you wouldn’t hate him for it, right?"

“Of course not!” Marinette exclaimed.  “Adrien’s so good with people, there’s no _way_ he could freak me out!”

“So you gotta believe there’s no way _you_ can mess it up, either!” Alya said with a firm nod.  “If Adrien’s got a crush on you--which, if he doesn’t _already_ , he _will_ \--then you can’t fail!  Now, wanna hear how to get this thing started?”

“Uh…sure!”  Marinette was nervous, since Alya’s ideas tended to be much more daring than hers ever were, but if it would help her win over Adrien, she had to at least consider it!

“So, tomorrow morning, you are going to wait for Adrien outside so that you can be the first person to say good morning to him, and maybe have a conversation on your way to class!  Ask him how his summer was, maybe!  He’ll be thinking about you all day!”

“...That’s your plan?” Marinette asked.  “I thought there would be...more.”

“That’s the _beginning_!” Alya corrected.  “One thing at a time, dear child!  Baby steps!”

“Well, then…”  Marinette sighed.  “It _sounds_ like something I should be able to pull off, but knowing me, I’ll find a way to trip over my own feet and forget how to speak French the minute I see him.”

“But you’ll give it your best shot, right?” Alya asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve got nothing to lose by trying!”  Marinette tried to sound as determined as possible, in the hope of boosting her confidence.  “At the very least, I’ll be one of the first people he sees!”

 ~ ~ ~

On the very same day, Adrien sat down with Nathalie to go over his class schedule so she could start organizing his other regular activities and see when the best times to schedule photoshoots would be for the rest of the semester.  The rest of the afternoon he spent finishing the rest of his homework, including some Chinese review worksheets.

It made Adrien feel a little paranoid, because he had begun to expect Hawk Moth to akumatize someone every day for no other reason other than that it would be the worst case scenario.  He knew he should feel relieved, because the less often he and Ladybug had to meet, the more slowly their symptoms would develop, but he didn’t want to lured into a false sense of security.  Plus, he really wanted to talk to Ladybug about the mating cycle and how they were going to handle it.  Plagg pointed out more than once that there was no rush: their symptoms wouldn’t get much worse over a few days if they didn’t see each other during that time.  Adrien tried to let Plagg reassure him, but he couldn’t shake this near-constant feeling of restlessness, almost impatience.  He and Ladybug obviously hadn’t done the _best_ job following their kwamis’ advice, but Hawk Moth hadn’t forced them to meet every day the way Plagg had feared he would, either.  Hopefully this meant they were _somewhat_ on track to keeping the rest of the cycle mild, right?

_Monday, September 5th_

Monday began the same way as any other:  The car pulled up to the curb in front of the school, and Adrien stepped out to join the half-a-dozen-or-so other students heading for the main entrance.  Before he had reached the stairs, however, he caught sight of Marinette sitting on the bottom-most steps.  She was probably waiting for someone….but it looked like she was fidgeting, whether out of nerves or excitement, he couldn’t tell.  He found himself approaching the stairs slowly and carefully, as if she was a woodland animal he didn’t want to startle.  She caught sight of him a few seconds later, and instantly sat up straight-as-a-board, her eyes wide and her hands tucked between her knees.  He was forcibly reminded of a wild rabbit.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Adrien stopped and waved at her, putting on his warmest smile.

“Hi, Marinette!” he greeted her.  “Are you waiting for Ayla?”

“Uh hi!  Adrien!  Hi!” she answered shyly, scratching her cheek.  “Uh, no, not...not Alya, um...I was, uh…!”  She bit her bottom lip slightly and started fidgeting again, her eyes darting around nervously and her brows furrowing.  He frowned at her slightly in concern.  She seemed _really_ nervous about something.

“Uh, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot or anything!” he assured her, holding up a placating hand.  “I was just, you know, curious…”

“Oh, no no no no no!” Marinette rushed to add, standing up suddenly.  “You didn’t do anything!  I’m just--!  I was just--!  Ugh…!”  She buried her face in her hands and groaned.  Adrien was starting to worry a little bit at this point.  She seemed so distressed!

“Hey…Are you okay?”  Hoping he wouldn’t scare her, Adrien leaned forward and touched a hand to her shoulder.  She looked up at him, her expression anxious, but at least not scared, as far as he could tell.  “You seem really...anxious.  Is something wrong?”

She blinked at him, glancing briefly at his hand on her shoulder.  He noticed her eyes seemed shinier than usual, and her face was slightly flushed. 

While Marinette sometimes had trouble putting together a coherent sentence (at least around him), she was also one of the sweetest people he knew, incredibly talented, and fiercely loyal when it came to supporting her friends.  Sometimes he felt like he still hadn’t figured her out, like there was still a lot more to her that he hadn’t gotten to know yet.  And yet...somehow he felt he could tell that she wasn’t feeling herself right now.  It hurt to see her looking so down.

She stared back at him for a moment, her brow relaxing a little.  Very slowly, her hand came up hesitantly, and uncertainty, and then--unexpectedly--came to rest on top of his own on her shoulder.  His heart fluttered excitedly at the innocent touch, and he beamed at her when she managed a grateful smile.

“Thanks for...worrying about me,” she murmured.  “I...I don’t know what’s up with me today...I guess I just feel...jumpier than usual...or maybe anxious, like you said.  But I’m okay...I think.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Adrien said, relaxing now that she seemed calmer.  Her smile still looked a little tremulous, but it was warm, and sweet, and it made him a little giddy.  Really, _she_ was a warm and sweet _person_!  In fact...

She... _smelled_ sweet…?

He leaned just a tiny bit more and tried to surreptitiously catch her scent.  It _was_ sweet...he couldn’t figure out what it reminded him of.  It wasn’t perfume: he would recognize the smell of ethanol.  It was probably a combination of her natural scent and the scent of whatever hair products she used.  It was subtle, and unassuming, but for some reason, it just drew him in…

“...A-Adrien…?”

He gasped, his head jerking back, and he realized he must have been in a daze, with his nose way too close to her face to be ignored.

_What the hell are you doing?!_

“Ah-ah!  Sorry!  Sorry, I--!”  He took his hand back and scratched the back of his neck, blushing furiously (he could _feel_ it).  “I don’t know what came over me, I just--!”

“I-It’s okay!” she squeaked, holding out her hands in an attempt to reassure him somehow.  “I-I’m not...mad, or freaked out, or anything!”

Adrien stared at her dubiously.

“Marinette…you really don’t have to say that,” he said.  “I...might not know what’s wrong with me today, but...that’s no excuse for acting like a creep.”  He cringed.

“You’re not a creep!” Marinette exclaimed, actually frowning at him now.  “Really, I’m not mad!  I just…”  She pressed her lips together but actually _leaned in_ and tilted her head questioningly.  “Were you...sniffing me?”

Adrien felt his face _burn_ with shame and found it very difficult to meet her eyes.  She only sounded curious, but he winced at the thought of admitting to his offense.

“Uhhh...I...guess so…?” he forced out.  “You, uh…”  His voice was rising in pitch with every word he spoke.  “You...smell really nice, and I...guess I was curious…”

Her eyes widened, and her lips parted just slightly into a tiny “O” of surprise.  She was blushing, but his eyes were drawn to her mouth, which was looking _very_ kissable right now…

_ADRIEN, WHAT THE HELL?!_

And then she actually _smiled_ (bashfully) and murmured, “Uh, thank you…Adrien!”  Was she seriously _flattered?!_   He was _not_ worthy…

 _Marinette, please, stop being so cute, it’s messing with my head!_ he groaned internally.

They both jumped when the school bell rang, signalling the start of classes.

“Oh, no, we’re gonna be late!” Marinette cried.  “Come on!”

They raced up the stairs and tore through the hall to their classroom, gasping for breath a little as Marinette flung the door open, only to trip and fall on her face.  Adrien tripped over her ankles and and hit the floor right after her, landing with an arm over her back and a leg tangled up with hers.  Adrien heard several people (mostly girls) giggle at the sight of them on the ground, while the teacher peered over his desk at them with his eyebrows raised.

“Glad you two could join us,” he remarked lightly.  “Take care on your way to your seats, won’t you?”

Adrien couldn’t remember the last time he had embarrassed himself in public, and his stomach was already punishing him for it.  He’d be lucky if he had an appetite for lunch today.

 ~ ~ ~

Alya nailed Marinette with a sly leer that said, _You will tell me EVERYTHING later!_ as she sat down in a daze.  Deciding whether to be more embarrassed or thrilled at the fact that Adrien had fallen on top of her in front of the whole class would normally have taking all of her brain power at the moment, but her head was already spinning with the even _more_ mind-blowing fact that Adrien had _sniffed her_ because _he thought she smelled nice!_   And that was in addition to the fact that he had cared enough to notice how nervous she was and ask if she was okay!  He had actually _worried_ about her!

 _He’s so sweet!!_ she thought giddily.  _He has a heart of gold and the most beautiful soul in the world!  Oh my god, I love him SO MUCH!_

Maybe the conversation hadn’t gone the way she intended, but somehow, the interaction still felt like a victory.  She managed to convince him it was okay to like how she smelled, right?

 _Now if only I could work up the courage to smell_ him _,_ she thought.  _I bet he smells like sunshine...whatever that smells like._

 ~ ~ ~

Adrien, meanwhile, felt like he was on the verge of a psychotic break.

_Why?!  Why would you do that?!  Why?!  WHY?!  You are a CIVILIZED HUMAN BEING!!  You can’t just get in girls’ faces and sniff them, even if they smell nice!  You KNOW better than this!!  You are NOT A CAT!!!_

_Wait...a cat…?_

It hit him.  But...it couldn’t be…

_The mating cycle...but, it only attracts Ladybug and I to each other!  Nobody else, right?  Unless...maybe it’s another cat thing?  But...why Marinette?  I haven’t done anything weird around anyone else...did Plagg forget to tell me something?  Or are my symptoms suddenly getting worse more quickly than he thought they would?  Ugh, I hope he has an explanation for this!_

It didn’t take Adrien very long to realize he would need to ask Nino for his notes later; no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t focus on lecture.  Marinette--his classmate, his friend, the GIRL HE HAD JUST TRIED TO SNIFF EARLIER--was sitting RIGHT BEHIND HIM!!  How was he supposed to concentrate?!  It seemed like his ears were hyper-focused on her, like his brain had decided she was the only thing worth listening to.  He couldn’t _actually_ hear her against the atmospheric noise of the classroom and the droning of the teacher’s voice, and yet his ears kept _straining_ to catch every sound she made that they could!  

~ ~ ~

When the final bell rang at the end of the day, Adrien scrambled to gather his things as quickly as possible so that he could escape the classroom before Marinette could pass his row.  He completely forgot to worry about how his behavior might look to others.

“Dude,” Nino said, watching Adrien with one eyebrow raised.  “What’s the rush?”

“Huh?”  Adrien froze, glancing at Nino.  “Uh...nothing, no rush!  I just...uh…”

Nino blinked, then crossed his arms, clearly dubious.

“Well, you look like you expect a bomb to go off any minute,” he remarked.  He glanced towards Chloé’s seat, where she was absorbed in something on her phone.  “Or for Chloé to jump you and kidnap you!” he added, chuckling.

Adrien blinked, then laughed nervously.  Chloé was rarely on his mind for any significant stretch of time, and today he could have forgotten about everyone in the classroom except Marinette.

“She should know better than to try anything like that,” he chuckled, shouldering his bag.  Nino scooted sideways and stood up to let Adrien get out of his seat.

Adrien heard Marinette whispering something to Alya in a squeaky voice as both girls got out of their seats.  He clamped down on the impulse to stop and look at them.

_Don’t stop and stare...Nino is watching you...your ride is waiting for you...just start walking…_

“Whaa--!”

He reacted entirely by reflex, so fast he couldn’t have had any time to _think_...he dropped his bag, letting the shoulder strap slip off his shoulder, spun around, and caught Marinette in his arms.  He was forced to step back with one foot to brace himself against her momentum; she had clearly tripped while walking down the steps behind him.  Her chin had clipped his left shoulder on the way down, and her left arm was pinned against his chest.  He was lucky she hadn’t knocked the wind out of him, or brought him tumbling down the steps with her.

“Whoa!  You okay?” he asked, pushing her back onto her feet with his hands at her waist.

“Yeah, you’re fine!  You’re amazing…” Marinette murmured in a dazed tone of voice as she focused her eyes on his face.  “I mean, whoa, that was you!  I MEAN, YEAH, I’M...okay!” she babbled, turning bright pink.  Her left hand was still touching him, and _there was that sweet scent of her again…_

Adrien pulled her into a hug and nuzzled his nose and right cheek against the side of her neck.

“Good, I’m glad!” he said, gently breathing in the smell of her skin.  “That could have been a nasty fall.”

“Uh…!  Well…” Marinette murmured somewhere next to his head.  “As long as you’re around, I don’t have to worry _too_ much...right?”  Her voice still sounded dazed.

Adrien felt his face flush, but the wonderful bubble he and Marinette were in was popped by the sound of Chloé’s voice from across the classroom.

“Um, excuse you!” she yelled.  “But nobody said you could fling yourself at Adrien just because he’s strong and has amazing reflexes!”

Adrien’s head snapped back, away from Marinette.  He was now blushing bright red with the humiliation of Chloé looking at them, but the way she had just shouted at Marinette _really_ irritated him.  So much so, that he stubbornly left his hands at Marinette’s waist as he turned his head to look Chloé in the face as he scowled in disapproval.

“Chloé, she _obviously_ tripped!” Adrien said incredulously.  “ _Excuse me_ if I didn’t let her _break her nose_ on the steps!”

“Yeah, you tell her,” Nino murmured in agreement.

Chloé looked like she had been slapped in the face.  Several people laughed at her, and Adrien felt no sympathy, though he was vaguely aware of his conscience nagging at him in a panic for drawing attention to himself.

“Now that you mention it, though, Chloé…” Ayla piped up, “I’m sure we’d all be happy to let _you_ fall on your face if you throw yourself at any of us!  Your daddy could afford all the hospital bills and plastic surgery, right?”

More laughter.  Chloé stood up, her face contorted with rage.

“Oh, well, aren’t you all just _SOOOO_ witty and hilarious!” she snarled, glaring at Nino, then at Alya, then at Marinette.  “Don’t think you’re special, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!  You’re just lucky Adrien’s nice to everyone!”  Seemingly satisfied with having the last word, Chloé turned and stormed out of the classroom. 

Adrien’s mouth fell open in shock.  What had Marinette ever done for Chloé to _hate_ her so much?!  He looked at Marinette:  she was watching Chloé go with an angry scowl on her face, but she didn’t seem hurt, like she had taken Chloé’s insults personally.  In the background, he could hear the rest of the class gathering ready to leave, but he made no move to leave Marinette’s side.  He felt like he had to stay...he just wasn’t sure why.

Marinette heaved a deep sigh, and then looked up at Adrien.

“Thanks for…standing up for me, Adrien,” she said, smiling sweetly.  “And thanks again for catching me!”  She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear.  Adrien’s eyes followed the movement of her hand, then lingered for a moment on her still-pink cheeks...and then finally came to rest on her lips: pink, glossy, _so_ soft-looking, and still stretched in a soft smile…

Suddenly, she started in surprise and glanced down to where—

\--His hand was _still_ there?!  Now at the small of her back...as if to pull her closer…?!

_Oh my god, get a FUCKING GRIP, ADRIEN!!_

He jerked it away as if electrocuted.

“Sorry, I--!  I must’ve spaced out for a second!” he blurted.

_You can’t even keep your paws to yourself, now?!  FOR SHAME!!_

Marinette stared at him curiously.

“Uh...no, you’re fine!  It’s fine!  I’m...fine…” she said vaguely.  “Um…”  She glanced around the classroom self-consciously; many people had left by now, and most of those that remained were (remarkably) not staring, which Adrien was _very_ relieved to see.  Guessing Marinette had simply trailed off, he bent down and picked up his messenger bag.  When he straightened up, however, he found Marinette hadn’t moved, and was now leaning forward just slightly, as if she were about to ask him something…

He froze, his hand still on the shoulder strap of his bag after slinging in over his shoulder, and stared back at her.

“...what?” he asked faintly.  It felt like her eyes were sucking him in...And he swore he was _almost_ close enough to smell her again…

She straightened up looked away, but smiled shyly.

“Sorry!” she squeaked softly.  Slowly and hesitantly, she started descending the stairs past him, and Adrien thought for sure she would keep going...but then she paused, just past him and slightly behind his left shoulder...

“...you smell nice, too.” She whispered timidly. 

...and then kept walking.

Adrien whipped around, but Marinette had already scuttled out of the classroom.  His heart gave a strange wiggle, and he could feel himself blushing.

_...What just happened?_

“Dude, did she break you?”  Adrien vaguely registered the sound of Nino’s voice right behind him, and the sensation of him gently shaking his left shoulder.

“What?” Adrien asked stupidly.

“Yeah, sounds like she kinda broke you.”  Nino slipped past him and turned to face him, shouldering his bag.  “But...what actually happened?  What’d she say?”

“Uh…”  Adrien tried to jumpstart his brain, but he couldn’t even remember why he had been leaving the classroom in the first place.  Was school over?  The bell had rung, right?  But what for?!

“Maybe we should save the interrogation until later, when our boy can talk properly.”  That was Alya’s voice, also coming up behind him.  Before he could turn to look at her, she threw an arm around his shoulders and leaned in conspiratorially.

“I may not know exactly what’s going on yet,” she murmured right next to his face.  “But it looks like you’re doing a good job!  Keep it up!”

“Wha--?!”  Before Adrien could turn his head to look at Alya properly, her arm was gone, and she was strutting past Nino on her way out of the classroom.  Adrien rounded on Nino.

“What was that all about?!” he demanded.  “She just said, ‘It looks like I’m doing a good job’?  What is she talking about?!”

Nino looked completely baffled for a moment, then thoughtful...then his eyes started darting from side-to-side, and he looked suspiciously panicky.

“Nino…” Adrien said warningly, “What do you know that I don’t?”

Nino sighed and gave him an apologetic grimace.

“Nino…!”

“Bro, I don’t know for sure,” Nino said uncomfortably.  “But...I’ve kinda been sworn to secrecy…”

“Um, if it has something to do with _me_ , then I think I oughta know!” Adrien said indignantly.

“I know, I know…”  Nino was clearly feeling really conflicted.  “It’s just, it’s also about...somebody else, and I swore to Alya I would keep it a secret…”

Adrien sighed.

“Okay, just...unless I have basketball or fencing after this, my ride’s probably been waiting for me for a while, now, so I should get going, but...I might call you later?”

“Yeah, sure,” Nino said, smiling.  “Later, dude!”

“See ya!”  Adrien exchanged a fist-bump with Nino, and then hurriedly dug out his phone as his best friend left the classroom.

He was late for basketball tryouts.  Great.

~ ~ ~

Adrien actually felt like he had done extremely well, and he was almost positive he would make the team.  Now that he was thinking about his mating cycle again, though, he suddenly wondered:  was it strange that thoughts of Ladybug _hadn’t_ distracted him during tryouts?  He felt like he had really been in the zone the whole time, but during class it seemed like he couldn’t concentrate on _anything_...why?  Was he overthinking it?

 _Guess that’s one more thing I’ll have to ask Plagg about,_ he thought.  He shouldered his duffel bag, shut the door to his locker, and headed out to meet Nathalie and the Gorilla for his ride home.

~ ~ ~

Marinette had barely made it past the school entrance when her phone rang.  Digging it out of her purse, she realized she should have known the scene she caused in the classroom would have Alya hot on her tail.

 _I guess I should be grateful she didn’t run me down in the hallway_ , she thought, tapping “Answer” on her phone and bringing up to her ear as she walked.  “Hello?”

_“Girl, where did you disappear to?!  What happened with Adrien?!  YOU HAVE TO TELL ME EVERYTHING!”_

“Sorry!” Marinette said, wincing from the volume of Alya’s voice.  “I wasn’t trying to escape you, I swear, I just had to get out of the classroom!  I couldn’t take everyone starting at us anymore, and I didn’t want to embarrass Adrien any more than I already had.”

 _“No offense taken…”_ Alya assured her, “ _As long as you tell me EVERYTHING that happened between you two...outside before school, AND in the classroom!  It’s thanks to my plan you ended up on the floor with him this morning somehow, right?”_

Marinette felt her face turn red faster than a traffic light.  _Choice of words matters, Alya!_

“Agh, don’t remind me!” Marinette groaned.  “That was so embarrassing!  For Adrien, too, I’m sure!”

 _“Maybe, but it was also hilarious!”_   Alya said with a laugh.  _“Like something straight out of a Disney movie!  But tell me what happened before that, when you met him outside!”_

“Well…” Marinette thought back to her morning encounter with Adrien and took a moment to get her thoughts straight in her head, wanting to give Alya as many details as possible.

“As soon as he saw me, he said hi and waved at me!” she began hopefully.  “He asked if I was waiting for you, and I said no, but I didn’t know what to say after that, so, of course, I started babbling like a fool again…” she continued, now sounding bummed.  “In fact, it was so bad, he actually tried to _apologize_ for putting me on the spot with his innocent question!” she whined.

 _“Geez, you must have been_ really _freaking out,”_ Alya said sympathetically.  “I guess starting a conversation with him all by yourself is still a really big step.”

“That’s the problem, Alya; it _shouldn’t_ be this hard!  I’ve been crushing on him for over a year, now, and I haven’t gotten any better at talking to him!”

 _“Hey, don’t beat yourself up!  There’s always next time!”_ Alya said bracingly.  _“But what happened next?”_

“I told him he didn’t do anything wrong, but I was just so _frustrated_ with myself that I felt like I was about to cry, and I _reeeeaallly_ didn’t want to cry in front of Adrien!  It would have made him feel even worse!”

_“Maybe...but did you hold it together?”_

“Yeah, mostly,” Marinette replied.  “But I’m pretty sure he noticed I was feeling upset; he touched my shoulder and asked me if I was okay.  And...somehow that calmed me down a little.  I…”  Marinette’s voice softened, and she blushed a little at the memory.  “I touched his hand, and I thanked him for worrying about me.”  _How did I work up the courage to do that?_ She wondered.  _I just suddenly felt calmer, out of nowhere…_

 _“What, really?  Wow!”_ Alya exclaimed.  _“Good for you!  Did he take it well?”_

“Yeah, he...smiled really big at me,” she sighed.  “But then…”

 

She paused, recalling the way Adrien’s face had slackened and his eyes had gone out of focus…

“And then, he...seemed to get really distracted by something...I couldn’t tell what part of my face he was looking at anymore…and then he leaned in really, really slowly towards me…”

She remembered his eyes fluttering closed, and hearing the soft sound of him slowly breathe in her scent...

“And then he...this is gonna sound really weird, but...he... _sniffed_ me!”

 _“...uh, what?”_ Alya asked.  _“‘Sniffed’ you?  Seriously?  That’s...kinda weird.”_

“I know, it was...strange…” Marinette said thoughtfully.  “But it was kind of...interesting, somehow.  He seemed like he was almost...in a trance?  He seemed to completely forgot I was watching him.  And when I said his name, he got totally startled!  And then he got really really apologetic for ‘spacing out,’ as he put it, and made it sound like he didn’t even realize what he was doing!  But when I asked him, he admitted that I smelled nice!”  Marinette’s voice grew excited.  “He thinks I smell nice!!  That’s good, right?!”

 _“I mean, yeah, totally!”_ Alya said.  _“It’s just...kinda weird for him to try to smell you out of the blue like that.  It seems like the kinda thing you’d do when you’re alone and in the mood to cuddle, and you two haven’t even started dating yet...”_

“Yeah, that makes sense…” Marinette mused. “Honestly, though...I can’t say that I minded..it was...flattering.  I told him I wasn’t mad or freaked out, but he said I _didn’t have to say that_ to try to make him feel better, because he thought he was acting like a _creep_!  Even though he didn’t even know what was going on with him!”

Alya didn’t answer right away.  Marinette frowned, even though Alya couldn’t see her expression of suspicious disappointment.

“You don’t actually think he _was_ acting like a creep, do you?!” she demanded indignantly.

 _“I know he’s not a creep,”_ Alya said quickly, _“But it could have_ looked _creepy to someone who didn’t know him.  Like I said, you just don’t sniff people you’re not dating out in public like that...and for him to act like he didn’t even realize he was doing it?_ Very _strange…”_

“I know it’s strange…” Marinette said.  “But what could it mean?”

 _“Who knows…”_ Alya mused.  _“But what happened next?”_

“I told him very firmly that he _wasn’t_ a creep,” Marinette said proudly.  “But I asked him…”

She trailed off.  Had she _really_ been brave enough to ask him if he had sniffed her?  How?

“...I asked him if he really did just sniff me—”

 _“You asked him to his face?!”_  Alya gasped.

“I know!  I don’t why I suddenly got so brave!  But I did, and he admitted he _did_!  He was super-embarrassed about it...but that’s when he said I smelled nice!”  Marinette grinned dreamily at the memory.  “So, I thanked him for the compliment!” She added happily.

 _“Well!”_ Alya exclaimed.  _“It sounds like you managed to get plenty out of the encounter even though you had a rough start!  Congrats!”_

Marinette giggled.  “Thanks!” she said.

 _“But tell me about what happened after class!”_ Alya urged.  _“I saw him catch you when you fell, and then he frickin’ HUGGED you!”_

“I KNOW!!” Marinette squealed.  “He said he was glad I was okay, because it could have been a nasty fall, he said, but…”  Marinette paused to draw a shaky breath as she felt herself blush even more at the memory of his his arms around her and his breath at her neck…

“But he caught me _against_ him, with his _arms around me_ , and I felt him _smell me again on my neck...!_ ” she gushed in a hushed voice.  “And I could smell him, too, and he smelled so _niiiiice!_   Actually…” she added thoughtfully, “I swear he kinda smelled a little like...some kind of cheese.  I don’t which kind, exactly, but…”

 _“Cheese?”_ Alya echoed.  _“That...doesn’t sound it would smell nice at all, but, hey, if_ you _don’t mind, I guess that’s all that matters!  And if you can figure out what kind of cheese it is, you could bring him some for lunch!  They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!”_

“Hmm...maybe I will!” Marinette mused.

 _“Also, I plan to call Nino later and see what I can find out from him about what Adrien’s thinking!”_ Alya added smugly.

“But Alya, I don’t want him to know I have a crush on Adrien!” Marinette whined.

There was silence for a few seconds from Alya’s end.

 _“Girl, Nino figured out you like his best friend last year,”_ she said.  _“You_ really _don’t hide it very well, and after we started dating, he became my partner-in-crime.  How do think we pulled off ‘Operation: Love-Birds Reunion’ with you two at the beginning of this year?”_

Marinette took a moment to digest this.

 _“You’re not mad at me, are you?”_ Alya asked.

“N-No, I’m not mad, just...embarrassed…” Marinette mumbled.  “He won’t tell Adrien, will he?”

 _“No, I made him_ swear _not to,”_ Alya assured her.  _“He’s just keeping an eye out for future signs that_ Adrien _is falling for_ you _, and help steer your boy in the right direction.  We’ve both got your back now, girl!”_

“Uh, okay...I guess that’s good.” Marinette said, approaching the corner of her street.  “I’ll leave Nino to you, then!  Let me know if he has anything interesting to tell us about Adrien, okay?”

 _“Will do!”_ Alya chirped.  _“I gotta call Nino before I get started on homework.  Talk to ya later!”_

“Okay!”  Marinette replied cheerfully.  “Bye!”

~ ~ ~

Marinette knew she should probably get started on her homework before dinner, but her head was still filled with thoughts of Adrien...his gorgeous face, the smell of his skin, and the warmth of his arms around her...

Tikki flew up to settle on the bookshelf that made up the headboard of Marinette’s bed, as Marinette climbed up to sprawl herself on her bed.  She sighed dreamily, and thought back to that moment in the classroom...

Even if Adrien had just been trying to catch her, and it was just the way she had ended up falling, being held in his arms like _that_...his arms wrapped around her waist, her arms pinned (awkwardly) against his chest, her cheek brushing the side of his neck (and her chin throbbing from clipping his shoulder)...it now placed second on her list of Best Moments with Adrien Agreste, right below the hug he had given her afterwards as he _nuzzled her cheek_!  She still wasn’t sure where exactly all of this impulsive affection was coming from, but it _had_ to mean something really good, right?  And maybe Alya was right and it meant he was falling for her!  Maybe this year _would_ be the year!

 _Now I know for a FACT that Adrien gives the most AMAZING hugs!_ she thought.  _Oh, to be scooped up into his_ loving embrace…!  _And he could nuzzle me, like he did today, and give me NECK KISSES!  Oh yes, neck kisses are heaven…!  Well, at least that’s what I’ve read…  I wonder how much_ Adrien _likes neck kisses…_

Marinette had exactly zero knowledge of what kind of lover Adrien was; she could only imagine based on what she knew about his personality.  He was so wonderfully kind and caring, and respectful...oh, he would so _loving_ , she was _sure_ of it!  Marinette let out a barely-audible sigh and blushed as she imagined him hovering over her as she lie beneath him, gazing at her in awe and in love (an expression she had some difficulty picturing clearly, as she had never seen what it looked like on his face in real life).

He would be spellbound by the sight of her naked body spread invitingly before him, and he would touch her reverently as he whispered to her how beautiful she was.  He would be carefully attentive, watching her and listening to learn what made her feel good...he would be careful not to hurt her, of course, but he would _relish_ the act of touching her, of filling her with such pleasure that she couldn’t stay silent, nor stop her body from shuddering and writhing from the sensations that threatened to overwhelm her…

Marinette could feel her heart hammering wildly and her face glowing red.  Between her thighs, she could feel her sex growing hot and damp with arousal.  The muscles of her core kept shuddering involuntarily, raw nerve-endings tingling and burning for attention.

“Tikki…?” Marinette murmured shyly.  “Um, can I...have some privacy?”

“Of course,” Tikki said kindly from behind her head.  She zipped past her face, over the side of her bed, and out of sight below.  “I’ll be under the pillow on the chaise.”

Marinette undid the button and zipper of her shorts and pushed them along with her panties as far down her legs as she could reach and then kicked them off.  She spread her legs wide and shivered as her exposed sex met the open air.  After a moment, she decided to shed her shirt and bra as well.  She cupped her breasts in both hands and massaged them, slowly rolling her nipples with her thumbs, taking her time building up her arousal as she pictured Adrien shirtless above her ( _Bless you, Gabriel swimwear ads!_ she thought).  She imagined it was _his_ hands caressing her instead of her own, continuing to massage her left with one and trailing down her body with the other and stroking the inside of her thigh…

She brought her hand to her aching sex, massaging her folds with her fingers.  She was squirming slightly now, her hips rocking minutely forward and backward in a desperate, reflexive search for relief.  Finished with teasing herself, she finally placed two fingers just above her clit on either side of it, and began rubbing in fast, tight circles.  Deep inside her core, her muscles were already fluttering, spastically squeezing on nothing over and over as she stroked herself closer and closer towards her release.  Her breath was coming in soft pants, sometimes catching and shuddering every time her heart gave a throb or flutter...

Marinette tried to imagine as clearly as possible what Adrien’s face would look like as he watched her pant and writhe beneath him in ecstasy...she pictured him smiling down at her, with more love and warmth than she had ever seen before on his face in real life, and her already-foggy brain almost blew a fuse; his normal, everyday smiles were _already_ so warm and sweet and gentle...but a smile from Adrien that only showed itself to a lover…!  Trying to focus this blessed image in her mind sent a flash of heat throbbing through her whole body, and she failed to fully stifle the giddy coo that escaped her just then.  Oh, to see him look at her like a goddess to be worshipped, she could barely _imagine_ what a flood of emotion the sight would bring her...perhaps just as incredible as the flood of emotion _he_ might feel to see _her_ , Marinette, coming undone by his touch…

She was close, now, _so close_ …!  She kept holding her breath to stifle the little whimpers and moans that threatened to escape her in the throes of her pleasure.  Swirling her fingertips as vigorously as she could against her clit, she imaged Adrien, his gaze heated with desire and anticipation, lower himself down over her...supporting himself on one forearm, he rocked forward to capture her lips in a heated kiss, and moaned happily against her mouth…

This time, she didn’t have to _imagine_ what it felt like to kiss him, or what his moan sounded like; she _knew_ , she _remembered_ , because she had _done_ that with Chat Noir, and the memory was _so_ much better than a fantasy…

 _Wait, WHAT?!_   Marinette froze, her hand still, and her body _rioted_ at the sudden loss of stimulation so close to the finish line.  She groaned in frustration, squeezing her eyes shut.

 _Noooo, I’m so CLOSE…!!  Whyyyy?!_   _That stupid cat with his stupid-warm hugs and stupid-cute purring and stupid-sweet kisses and stupid--!!  Argh, let me fantasize about Adrien in peace!!  YOU WEREN’T INVITED!!!_

But she just couldn’t bring herself to let the orgasm she craved so much slip out of her reach, and barely two seconds later, her fingers were back to rubbing frantic circles again.  Imagining Chat Noir on top her instead of Adrien didn’t dampen her arousal in the slightest, not when she could imagine him kissing her _so vividly_...in fact, because it was _him_ she remembered kissing so well, not Adrien...it pulled her in even _deeper_ , sent a fresh wave of delicious heat flooding through her body.  Her breathing deepened into uneven gasps and her hips rocked frantically against her hand as she felt that invisible, special _something_ wind tighter and tighter, like a coiled spring.  Then, her breath caught in her chest as the muscles in her core spastically seized up, and her orgasm crashed over her like a great wave.  She covered her mouth and nose with her other hand to muffle her strangled groan as she rode it out.  She struggled to catch her breath as fingers gradually slowed. 

Marinette vaguely wondered if she should be more bothered by the fact that she had just finished touching herself while fantasizing about Chat Noir.  He sure hadn’t been the boy she had _intended_ to imagine kissing her torridly as he brought her to climax.  On the other hand, fantasizing about Chat Noir didn’t do him, or her, any harm, just as Tikki had said.  It wasn’t like Chat Noir could read her mind and _know_ she had been thinking about the two of them doing _those_ kinds of things together...sexual fantasies were perfectly normal; she was just using her imagination to enhance the mood of her solo session…

In fact, she realized, she had been more frustrated about the fact that her thoughts of Chat Noir had interrupted her thoughts of Adrien more than the fact that she had thought of Chat Noir in the first place.  Sure, she was surprised that it hadn’t felt more awkward to think of Chat Noir that way, but the fantasy itself...it had _worked_.  And that got her thinking…

 _I can make educated guesses about what kind of a lover Adrien would be, just from what I know about his personality,_ she thought.  _But Chat Noir’s actually_ shown _me a little bit of his romantic side...I_ know _now how he kisses the girl he loves for the first time...I know what it feels like to have him embrace me, and cup my face in his hands, and caress my cheek, and_ look _at me with_ love _in his eyes...it’s only a glimpse, but it_ shows _how he expresses affection…_

She felt her heart throb at the thought, and she shivered, her breath shuddering.

 _I love Adrien, and I want to be with him, but...he hasn’t_ shown _me how he feels about me...if he loves me, or_ could _love me if he knew how I felt about him, I don’t know._   _But I_ do _know how_ Chat Noir _feels; he showed me, and...I felt_ happy _._ Really _happy...and I felt so happy seeing how happy_ I _made him feel...And when I see him again, I want to make him even happier.  I want to share more with him:  more hugs, more kisses, more touches, but also…_

Marinette’s brow furrowed as she stared up at her skylight.  She felt like her heart was swelling up with too many emotions for it to contain.

 _I want to_ know _him better...we’ve been through so much together, and I’ve always cared about him a lot…and yet, we only ever see each other when we have to fight Hawk Moth’s latest supervillain...we fight together, we save the day, then we go...I’d like to say I consider him my friend, but we don’t do anything together that normal friends do, or know things about each other that normal friends know, like birthdays, or hobbies, or our dreams for the future…_

Marinette sat up suddenly, staring wide-eyed at nothing.

_Could we actually end up defeating Hawk Moth someday without ever getting to know each other beyond our superhero identities?  I...I don’t want that.  That wouldn’t be fair!_

Marinette scrambled to put her clothes back on, and then called for the one person she could talk to about her new feelings and revelations.

“Tikki…?” she called softly.

Tikki came zooming up from down below, where she had no doubt been patiently hiding under the decorative pillow on the chaise.

“Yes?  What’s the matter, Marinette?” she asked, noticing Marinette’s look of distress.

“I…”  Marinette hesitated, not sure how to express her feelings out loud.  “I was thinking about Chat Noir, and...well…”

“You really want to see him again?” Tikki guessed, smiling kindly.

“Well, yes, I do, but…”  Marinette searched for the right words.  They finally came to her seemingly out of nowhere, and they took her so much by surprise that she gasped just loud enough for Tikki to hear.

“Marinette?”

“I...I don’t think I’m scared of the mating cycle anymore,” she finally said.  “I was...really happy to hear that Chat Noir loved me…” she continued hesitently.  “And...I _liked_ kissing him...like, _a lot_...and I feel like I want more.  I mean, I want to see more sides of him...I want to…”  She paused to consider her words; these new feelings were hard to translate!  “... _share_ more with him, if that makes sense…?  I’m...curious...no, _intrigued_...about him...and…”  She trailed off, glancing up nervously at Tikki.  “Tikki...will I _never_ know who he is, even after we defeat Hawk Moth?  I...I don’t want to lose him as a friend…or, whatever we are...”

Marinette wasn’t sure what kind of reaction she expected from Tikki, but it certainly wasn’t a beaming smile.

“Maybe as _more_ than a friend?” she asked gently, tilting her head.  Marinette opened her mouth to respond, but Tikki added, “It’s fine to love more than one person at a time that way, Marinette.”

“I...I…”  Marinette felt conflicted.  _Is Tikki right?_ she wondered.  _Could I be...falling in love with Chat Noir?  But, the mating cycle…!_ “But what about my mating cycle?” she asked.  “Could it just be my mating cycle that’s making me feel this way?”  The thought, she found, actually made her feel sad…

“Well, think about it for a moment,” Tikki said encouragingly.  “Are you just drawn to him physically?  Do you feel like you only want him _sexually_?  Or do you want _more_ than that with him?”

“No, I…”  Marinette’s eyes widened slightly with the revelation now washing over her.  She stared in amazement at Tikki, who was staring back expectantly with a gentle smile.

“I...I really want to _know_ him,” Marinette confessed.  “If...if we could be... _more_ than partners, and more than friends…”  She cut herself off and took a shaky breath, too scared and uncertain to finish her sentence.  “I _still_ love _Adrien_ , and I _still_ want him to fall in _love_ with me, but Chat Noir…!  He’s…!  We’ve been through so much, and he’s always been there for me, and…he’s _selfless_ , and brave, and...I don’t know how how else to say it, he’s just a _sweetheart_!  I know now _more than ever_ how…!”  Marinette stopped to catch her breath, letting out a _huff_ and feeling a little overwhelmed.  “...How _loving_ he is…”  Her voice cracked on the word “loving.”  “I...I want to see more of that...I want to _feel_ more of that...it makes me so happy, and it’s so obvious how happy _I_ make _him!_   What I felt when I was with him last time, when we kissed…”  She whimpered and covered her face with her hands.  “I loved every minute of it…”

There was a moment of silence.  Tikki waited patiently for Marinette to continue.  She finally separated her fingers enough to peek at Tikki.

“Tikki...do you think...am I falling in love with him?”

Still smiling,Tikki hovered closer and waved a paw in a reassuring “there, there” gesture..

“Only you can know the answer to that,” she said gently.  “And you don’t have to know for sure right now.  But this _is_ a big could-be, and you just might find the love of the life.”

Marinette stared back at Tikki with her eyes still wide and her mouth slack.  She almost couldn’t believe this conversation was actually happening.  Chat Noir, possibly the love of her life…?

“But...what about Adrien?” she asked timidly.

“Keep trying to get to know him better, too!” Tikki chirped brightly.  “You don’t have to give up on him!  If you want to eventually figure out which one you’ll commit yourself to, you have to see how you really feel with each of them!  It’s not cheating if you haven’t made the relationship exclusive, right?”

“But...could I really do that?  Date Adrien as Marinette, and...see what Chat Noir and I could be as Ladybug?”

Tikki looked more serious, but still encouraging.

“I’m not saying it’ll be easy, or that it won’t put your identity at risk, but...the thing is, Marinette…”  Tikki gave her cheek a comforting pat.  “The mating cycle is already going to make it harder to keep your true identity secret from Chat Noir, because, well…”  Tikki gave an apologetic smile, and Marinette instantly heard alarm bells go off inside her head.  “Your costumes aren’t designed to let you two take them off without changing back to normal, so you won’t be able to have sex with your masks still on.”

Marinette groaned loudly and keeled over backward, hitting her head on the bookshelf at the head of her bed and yelping in pain.

“Are you okay?!” Tikki squeaked in alarm.

Marinette sat up, rubbing the back of her head.

“Yeah...nothing new for Marinette the super-klutz…” she grumbled.  She looked up at Tikki again.  “Do you think we _will_ end up having sex, then?!” she whined, slightly horrified.

“It’s too early to make assumptions like that,” Tikki assured her.  “But, you two _did_ kiss--twice--after your _first_ mission together after you two went into heat,” she added teasingly. “And this was only two days after I told you spending more time together would worsen your symptoms!”

“So...you’re saying...we’re _weak_ for each other?!” Marinette croaked.

“Well, with you two being in heat, that kind of goes without saying, a little bit.” Tikki answered.  “I would say that _in addition_ to that, you two in particular have a lot of _chemistry_ together!  You know what I mean?”

“Kind of…?” Marinette hedged.  “I...always thought it felt like I’d known him forever even though we’ve barely known each other for a year, now.  And we just seemed to figure out the teamwork thing automatically, almost like it was instinct...or, like we think on the same wavelength…?  Is that actually a thing?”

“Yes, it is!” Tikki said happily.  “Your personalities complement each other!  So working together comes naturally to both of you!”

Marinette smiled. 

“Yeah...I guess that’s true!”

“So, do you know what you’ll do next time you see Chat Noir?” Tikki asked.

Marinette thought for a moment.

“I’ll…”  Marinette looked up at Tikki, took a deep breath, and smiled bravely.  “I’ll tell him...I want to see where this goes.  I want to share more with him.”

Tikki beamed at her.

“That’s the spirit!” she praised.  “Just be careful not to lose your head around him!  Follow your heart, but don’t forget to think carefully with your head, too, okay?”

“Thanks, Tikki,” Marinette said, scooping Tikki out of the air and touching a kiss to the kwami’s tiny head.  “I promise!”


	8. Keep Me Up All Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino puts his matchmaking skills to the test during a call to Adrien, and asks him a very important question.  
> Adrien tells Plagg all about his crazy day, and asks why basketball, of all things, would give him his powers of concentration back. Plagg gives our poor boy MUCH, MUCH more information than he asked for, topped off with a lecture about love, and the girl(s) that stole his heart. Plagg is also secretly #done with our poor, oblivious sunshine cat son, who is simultaneously #thirstyAF and hopelessly confused.  
> After dinner, he takes a shower and fantasizes about Ladybug some more, just because I can! >:3c

_Monday_

Adrien spend the car ride home trying to organize his thoughts.   _So_ much had happened over the last six hours, and it all seemed to come back to his strange...moments...with Marinette.   _Why_ did interacting with her have such a powerful, strange effect on him?  His heat was the only explanation he could think off, but it was supposed to be attracting him to _Ladybug_ , because he was Chat Noir, and his miraculous were currently resonating with hers and emitting magical “pheromones”!  Why would Marinette--or anyone else--attract his attention like that?

  _And if I’m supposed to be lusting after Ladybug,_ he thought, _Why wouldn’t she be on my mind during school?_

And then there was the weird way Nino and Alya had reacted to the scene in the classroom between him and Marinette.  Nino had pretty much admitted that he knew something Adrien didn’t, and that Alya was in on it, too, whatever it was.  Did it have something to do with Marinette?  Could _possibly_ have anything to do with what was going on with him?

He had so many questions.  He hoped Plagg had the answers...or that Nino could at least give him a clue.

As soon as Adrien had reached the sanctuary of his room, he opened his duffel bag to let Plagg out.  The kwami came flying out, and Adrien was pleased to see he wasn’t feeling lethargic from inhaling the entire wheel of Camembert that he had stashed inside.

“Plagg, I need to talk to you!” Adrien began without preamble.  “I don’t how much you picked up from inside my bag, but today has been _crazy_ , and I have _no_ idea what’s wrong with me, but I _hope_ you can explain it all!”

“Probably,” Plagg said with a shrug.  He crossed his tiny arms and looked expectant.  “Well, let’s hear it.”

“Okay, so…”  Adrien flopped down on the edge of his bed and tried to gather his thoughts.  Before he could continue, however, his cell phone rang.  Adrien dug it out of his bag and saw that it was Nino calling him, so he answered it, immediately reminded that he still wanted to know what Alya and his best friend knew that he didn’t about what happened at the end of class.

“Hi, Nino!  Couldn’t wait for _me_ to call _you_ , huh?” he joked.

 _“Yeah, pretty much!”_ Nino laughed.   _“I just got off the phone with Alya; I told her you were catching on to us, and that I wanted to come clean with you, and she said that was cool, except I still can’t tell you the secret we promised to keep for that someone who shall remain anonymous.  Just know that it’s not anything bad, okay?”_

“Okay, that’s good,” Adrien said, feeling a little more relaxed now, just from talking to his best friend.  “Yeah, I get it.  Honestly, I just want to know what Alya was hinting at that I didn’t get when she said, ‘It looks like you’re doing a good job; keep it up’.”

 _“Yeah, no, she didn’t expect you to get it,”_ Nino said.   _“It’s...okay, lemme back up:  Do you remember the first day of classes?  When I covered your eyes and brought you to where Alya had brought Marinette the same way?”_

“Yeah, but...what does that have to do with today?”

 _“I...have to keep quiet about a key detail,”_ Nino said sheepishly, _“It goes back to that secret...but Alya basically recruited me to do that so that we could stage your reunion with Marinette and surprise you guys.  And, man!  It went better than she thought it would!”_  Nino laughed.   _“I don’t I’ve ever seen you that excited before, dude!”_

Adrien blushed and fidgeted were he sat.  “I...I was just so stoked to see you all after not getting to hang out at all summer!”

 _“You were happy to see Alya, Rose, and Juleka...and, yeah, you were definitely stoked to see me!”_ Nino said, a playful smirk evident in his voice.   _“But with Marinette?  Dude, you were over the freaking moon!”_

“I…”  Thinking back to that moment, and remembering his excitement, Adrien realized that his strange behavior around Marinette might have started as far back as the first day of the mating cycle...but how?  Why?

“I...don’t really know what came over me, honestly…” Adrien admitted.  “I felt like such a...spastic weirdo right afterword.  I mean, you know me, I try to _not_ to be dramatic like that!”   _Not as normal Adrien Agreste, anyway,_ he thought.      _  
_

_“I_ do _know you...I_ also _know you’re not a weirdo!  Not in a bad way, anyway!”_ Nino said brightly.   _“And I’m sure Marinette doesn’t think you’re a weirdo-in-a-bad-way, either.  She didn’t seem too weirded-out after the big reunion, did she?”_

“Uh...no, I don’t think so,” Adrien said, doing his best to think back.  “She was her usual nervous, stammery self, but she told me she didn’t mind...I think.”

 _“Yeah, I’m sure she wasn’t freaked out,”_ Nino assured him.   _“I mean…”_  Nino paused, and it seemed to Adrien that Nino was either carefully considering his next words or remembering something important or interesting.  Adrien frowned in confusion; he was starting to feel like he was missing something big again.

 _“_ Alya _said Marinette was_ psyched _, actually,”_ Nino finally said.   _“That you picked her up and spun her around and stuff, I mean.”_

“Really?” Adrien asked, pleasantly surprised.  “Marinette...told Alya that?  And you heard that from Alya?”  He couldn’t keep his tone neutral; he realized it probably betrayed the soft giddiness he could feel bubbling up from somewhere behind his navel.

 _“Ha ha, yeah!”_ Nino said, chuckling.   _“Seriously, dude, you could get a lot closer to her if you want to...you just gotta loosen up a bit!  Keep it real, you know?”_

“Get...closer to her?” Adrien echoed, feeling his heart give a nervous but excited flutter.  “What do mean?  We’re...friends.  At least, _I_ think of her as a friend…”

 _“I mean, yeah, you’re friends!  Totally!”_ Nino said. “ _But...I mean…”_  Nino trailed off, sounding unsure of how to finish his thought.   _“Okay...lemme ask you a question, and try not to get weirded-out if I sound crazy, alright?”_

“Uhhhhh....okay…?  You’re making me _really_ nervous now, but, let’s hear it, I guess…”

Adrien heard Nino take a deep breath on the other end, and he briefly considered chickening out and hanging up right then and there.

 _“Do you...do you think you might..._ like _her?  Marinette?  As in,_ like _-like?”_

Adrien’s mouth fell open, and he stared sideways at his phone out of the corner of his eye like it had just whispered something creepy in his ear.

“Uh…what?”  Adrien felt like his brain was lagging.  “ _L-like_ her…?  W-here is _this_ coming from?!”

_“Uh, maybe from the whole thing about you scooping up Marinette and twirling her around like she just accepted your hand in marriage?”_

A squeaky wheeze escaped Adrien as he turned pink in the face.  He hoped Nino hadn’t heard.

“That’s…!  I didn’t mean it _like that!_  I just…!”

 _“I know!”_ Nino said, obviously grinning now.   _“You just_ don’t know what came over you! _”_

Adrien had no comeback for this.  It had just _happened_ on pure impulse!  And it really wasn’t like him to act impulsively in public...but he remembered it had felt so natural and _right_ in the moment...he had only felt weird about it afterwards.  So...had it just been a freak moment of impulsiveness?  He really didn’t want to overthink it...but it also seemed foolish to try to bury it under the rug and label it as nothing.  But then, what _should_ he do about it?

“I...okay, I can totally picture what it must have looked like,” Adrien said carefully.  “But...I really...I don’t…”

Adrien fully intended to finish the sentence: ‘ _I don’t feel_ that _way about her; she’s just my classmate and my friend,’_ but it was like his mouth refused to cooperate.  He couldn’t force the words out...they didn’t sound right in his head.  But it was the truth...wasn’t it?

“...E-even if I _did_ ,” he said instead, “What about Marinette?  She hasn’t shown any special interest in me that _I’ve_ noticed.”

Somewhere outside his field of vision, Adrien heard Plagg grumble, “Oh, for the love of Gouda…”

Bewildered, Adrien twisted around to glare incredulously at Plagg.

 _What’s_ your _problem?!_ he thought, hoping his expression spoke his mind for him.

Plagg just stared back him with the most thoroughly-bored expression Adrien had ever seen.  Adrien resisted the urge to throw his pillow at Plagg and forced himself to turn back around and ignore him.  He’d just demand answers after this important conversation was over and done with.

 _“Really?”_  Why did Nino sound...surprised?   _“Not even after you caught her when she tripped, and gave her the snuggliest hug I’ve ever seen you perform on somebody?”_

Adrien’s lingering expression of bewilderment instantly fell off his face; his eyes popped as he remembered…

The press of her hand and arm against his chest as she leaned into him…

The warmth of her wrapped up in his arms…

The softness of her cheek as he nuzzled her...

_The sweet scent of her skin…_

And the sound of her voice…

_“As long as you’re around, I don’t have to worry too much...right?”_

Her _whisper_...

_“...you smell nice, too.”_

Adrien gulped and held his breath just in time to keep a tiny whimper from escaping.  He could feel his face glowing pink.

“Um, w-well...she was _grateful_ , of course!” Adrien stammered.  “That I caught her, and that I stood up to Chloe for her…”

 _“Dude…”_  Nino’s tone of voice indicated an immunity to Adrien’s poor attempt at bullshitting him.   _“Alya and I_ BOTH _saw Marinette whisper in your ear, and we saw what it did to you._ THAT’S _what Alya was talking about when she said it looked like you were doing a good job and to keep it up:  you’ve both got your eyes on each other, and you can win over Marinette if you just keep doing whatever you’re doing!”_

Adrien sat in stunned silence for several seconds.  Memories of the day’s moments with Marinette rushed through his mind...

_“You’re not a creep!  Really, I’m not mad!  I just…Were you...sniffing me?_

_“Uh, thank you…Adrien!_

_“As long as you’re around, I don’t have to worry too much...right?_

_“...you smell nice, too.”_

His heart gave a hot throb, and he pressed the hand that wasn’t holding his phone to his chest, as if to keep it from jumping out of its proper place.  How many times had he had the urge to kiss those lips of hers since he went into heat? How many times had he almost gotten lost in her eyes?  How many times had his hands lingered on her, subconsciously longing to pull her closer, to wrap her up in his arms so that he could soak up her warmth…

Oh, if he could nuzzle his way under her chin and just drink in her scent as he pressed tender kisses all over neck and stole a taste of her skin with tiny swipes of his tongue--

_Oh, god!  What is HAPPENING to me?!_

“Well, uh…!  Thanks for...letting me in on...this... _thing_?” Adrien said, struggling to get his brain working again.  “I’ll, uh...keep it all in mind for...uh…”

 _“For when you see Marinette again?”_   Nino chuckled.   _“I get it!  You got a lot to think about, right?  Go for it, bro!  I’ll be rootin’ for ya!  Talk to ya later!”_

“Wha--?”   _Click._

Nino hung up.

Adrien lowered his phone and stared at it for a second in confusion, then pressed “End.”

 _Ugh, it still sounds like Nino’s getting the wrong idea about me and Marinette,_ he thought.   _But, then again, I guess I didn’t know how to correct him, either.  I don’t even understand what I’m feeling.  What am I gonna do?!_

He turned to face Plagg, who was watching him expectantly with his little arms still crossed.

“So...how much of that did you catch?” Adrien asked resignedly.

“Enough to make for quite the teaser to the story of your day,” Plagg remarked.  “I’m guessing you want to tell me all about it, now?”

“Yeah…”  Adrien sighed and rubbed his eyes.  “Oh man, I was already _so_ confused...and then _Nino_ had to make it even _more_ complicated…!”  He groaned into his hands, and then took a deep breath and shifted where he sat to get more comfortable.

“So...this morning, I ran into Marinette outside the school doors, and we started talking...well, sort of…and I…”  He paused, remembering the way she had smiled gratefully at him and touched his reassuring hand on her shoulder.  His heart had given a little flutter and he had felt slightly giddy, but he didn’t know how to put the feeling into words. 

Then he remembered her _scent_ …again.

“I...caught a little bit of her _scent_ , and...without even thinking, I--I didn’t even realize I was doing it!--I leaned in to _smell_ her, and I wasn’t even subtle about because she _totally caught me_ , and…!”

Plagg was watching him with one eyebrow raised, listing closely, but his overall expression was unreadable...not that Adrien was watching for his reaction at the moment; he was too flustered by the fact that he was blushing again, and his heart was starting to go pitter-patter as struggled not to get distracted by intrusive thoughts of Marinette...

“...And then, I...I just…”  Adrien looked to be on the verge of a mental breakdown.  “I just randomly noticed her _lips,_ and it just randomly occurred to me that they would probably be _really nice to kiss_ , and I have no idea why, because I’ve never thought of _anything_ like that about her, and she’s never caught my attention so much before!”

He paused to catch his breath.  He rubbed the back of his neck with both hands.

“And then, after class…it was weird; Marinette tripped behind me, and I just instantly whipped around and caught her before I even realized what happened.  It was like _reflex_ ...and then…!  Oh my god, Plagg, I caught her scent again, and I just _pulled her into a hug_ like it was nothing and _NUZZLED THE SIDE OF HER NECK!  SHAMELESSLY!”_  He groaned.  “I just couldn’t resist smelling her again... _”_  he whimpered. 

He buried his face in his hands for a few seconds, then looked up imploringly at Plagg.

“Plagg, _something is wrong with me_ , and I can only assume it’s because of the mating cycle, but from everything you’ve told me, it doesn’t make sense!  I’m only supposed to be attracted to _Ladybug_ , right?!  So what is going on?!”

Plagg didn’t react right away.  After five very slow seconds, he put a paw to his chin and looked up at the ceiling in an exaggerated display of pondering.

“Hmmmm…” he hummed for good measure.  Adrien’s eyes bugged out.  Did Plagg not even know?!

“Welllllll…” Plagg finally said in an almost bored voice.  “You could just be, oh, I don’t know, falling in love with her?  Plain and simple?”

Adrien’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

“Plagg, I’m _in heat_ !  Am I not supposed to be bewitched, mind, body, and soul, by Ladybug and everything she is?!  Wha--I barely thought about her at _all_ today; I just kept freaking out over Marinette and how _weird_ I was being, and…!  And I just _couldn’t freaking concentrate_ because _Marinette was sitting in the row behind me_ and I just _couldn’t ignore it!_ ”

“Sounds like typical behavior of a boy in love,” Plagg remarked dryly.  “You daydream about _Ladybug_ constantly, and _that_ doesn’t bother you at all.”

“Because I’m in love with Ladybug!!” Adrien said, sounding incredulous and frustrated.

“So then, you’re in love with Marinette, too, because you can’t stop thinking about her, either.”

“I’m not!!” Adrien exclaimed.  “And even if I was, how the hell would I even _notice_ if I’m in the middle of my _mating cycle?!_ ”

“More like about a _third_ of the way through your mating cycle,” Plagg corrected.

 _“Ugh!”_  Adrien threw his hands up in frustration.  “Plagg, _you’re not taking this seriously!_ ”  He rubbed the back of his neck with both hands in a nervous tic.

“I’m taking this _dead_ seriously!” Plagg shot back.  “And I’m now struggling with the possibility that you’re suddenly doubting the power of love!  You think just because your miraculous is amplifying your _lust_ for Ladybug that you can’t feel _love_ for anyone else?  Is Ladybug just so _beautiful_ and _incredible_ and _perfect_ that no other girl could _possibly_ catch your attention?”

Now Plagg sounded almost...disgusted.  And not in the way he usually acted when Adrien raved about Ladybug.  He sounded like he was _disappointed_ in Adrien, and Adrien could only wonder where this was coming from.

“Plagg, I know Ladybug isn’t perfect,” he said, a little hurt by the accusation.  “And yes, she’s beautiful, and amazing, but I know she’s not the only girl in the world like that...she’s just the one I fell in love with, and so she’s _‘the_ one’, you know?  She’s... _her_ beauty and _her_ bravery and _her_ wit and _her_ everything else make me _feel_ things that no-one else’s does.  It’s not that Marinette isn’t amazing in her own ways...she _is_ , and I _notice_ !  But I’m _in love_ with Ladybug.  I’m not shallow...I thought you knew me better than that…”

Plagg sighed and his entire posture sagged.

“I _do_ know you better than that, Adrien,” he said seriously.  “You can’t blame your mating cycle for  making you feel weird around Marinette, and then say you _shouldn’t_ be feeling weird around her because of your mating cycle, too.  It’s not wrong to fall in love with more than one person!  You’re not doing any harm!  It’s how you handle it and what you _do_ with it that will affect other people...and the way you’re thinking about it right now, you’re setting yourself up for unnecessary angst, and being disrespectful to Marinette because you claim you can’t _possibly_ fall in love with her!  You don’t mean to, I know, but that’s what this all sounds like.”

Adrien was speechless, and he was almost worried that he couldn’t fully comprehend everything Plagg had just told him.  Plagg seemed pretty convinced that his mating cycle _wasn’t_ to blame for this...but the way he had felt and acted around Marinette today just didn’t seem normal, and Adrien couldn’t get over it.  How did Plagg expect him to deal with it?

“You’re...saying I’m in denial?” he finally asked faintly.  “You _seriously_ think I’m...in love with Marinette, too, and it has _nothing_ to do with the mating cycle?”

“Honestly, I don’t think it _matters_ whether it has anything to do with your heat or not,” Plagg said flatly.  “Either way, there’s nothing we can do about it.  Clearly, if you could _make_ yourself not feel this way about Marinette, you would, if only to ease your silly conscience over Ladybug, but you obviously _can’t_ .  So you’re just going to have to deal with it.  Just do yourself--and me--a favor and stop _agonizing_ over it!  It’ll all work out, trust me.”

Adrien just stared at Plagg, anxious and confused.  He wished he could understand how to be as calm and confident as his kwami was about all of this...but he just felt so _lost._

“How can you be so sure?” he asked desperately.  “ _Tell me_ , Plagg, how do I make all this work?”

Plagg didn’t answer right away; he blinked once slowly at Adrien, then came forward to float closer to Adrien’s face.

“I can’t just give you all the answers, Adrien.  You’ve got to figure them out for yourself...and I _know_ you can...you _will_.”

Adrien’s eyebrows rose slightly, as he tried to absorb comfort from Plagg’s words.

“Seriously, you’ve come so far without _ever_ doubting you and _Ladybug_ were meant to be together, even though you two are supposed to keep your true identities secret from each other!  For Gruyer’s sake, you’ve never even had _previous experience_ with girls before! 

“And yet, all this time, you’ve been holding out for Ladybug for an entire _year_ , never doubting that ‘true love would find a way’, or whatever...exactly the romantic, naive thinking of a young boy hopelessly in love… The odds have always been kind of against you, kid; most people would say you stood a much better chance with _Marinette_ !  But, who woulda thought, you were right to believe!   _It seems like Ladybug’s finally fallen for you!_  I’d say your heat has only done you _favors_ so far!

“But now that your heart’s telling you it’s drawn to Marinette, too, you’re suddenly gonna second-guess your feelings, and agonize over everything that could go wrong, and why you _shouldn’t_ be feeling this way?”

Adrien blinked several times in bewilderment.  He was struggling to absorb and comprehend everything Plagg was now throwing at him.

“When did you suddenly become the expert on love?” he teased lightly.

“I’m thousands of years old,” Plagg stated seriously.  “I’ve watched over every Chat Noir in history, from the dawn of humanity.  Times have changed a lot, and every one of them have been different, but you’re certainly not the first one to fall in love...you’re not even the first to fall in love with Ladybug, with or without the mating cycle having anything to do with it.”

Adrien’s eyes widened and his head reeled.  It was so easy to forget that he was merely the most recent in a long line of superheroes dressed as black cats...and, of course...how could he be the first to fall in love with his partner in ladybug spots?   _Especially_ with the mating cycle involved...but, next to every boy and man who had worn the ring on his finger, Plagg had been there, and would have seen or heard about it _all_...every facet of human attraction.  Gluttonous, slothful, and mischievous as he was, Plagg was wise, and he knew Adrien possibly better than anyone else did...and he cared for Adrien, a lot.

So, if Plagg assured him it was okay to follow his heart...he might only miss out if he held himself back.

Adrien smiled at Plagg gratefully and rubbed a fingertip behind one of Plagg’s ears.

“Thanks, Plagg.  I’ll...try to pick and choose my battles with myself, if that’s what this all comes down to.”

Plagg smugly tucked his paws behind his head, as if flexing tiny arm muscles, as he leaned contentedly into Adrien’s finger-rubs.

“Yeah, don’t sweat the small stuff,” he said smoothly.  “Take it one day at a time.”

“Yeah...I’ll try.”  Adrien sat up straighter and stretched. 

“So, is that everything that’s been bothering you today?” Plagg asked, looking pleased with himself for giving Adrien so much helpful advice.

Adrien ran through the day’s events in his head, trying to see if he had forgotten anything.

“Oh!”  Adrien snapped his fingers and pointed at Plagg.  “There was one more thing:  I had basketball tryouts today, and…”  His brow furrowed and he scratched his head thoughtfully.  “I thought it was odd how _well_ I did, considering how distracted I was all through class.  I mean, Marinette wasn’t there to distract me, so that might be part of it, but…”  He tilted his head side-to-side indecisively.  “Maybe I’m just overthinking things, but I don’t get how I played as well as I did when I’m in the second week of my mating cycle.  Shouldn’t I have been daydreaming about Ladybug, or something?”

“Do you usually daydream about Ladybug during basketball?” Plagg asked dryly.

“Well...no, not usually,” Adrien admitted.  “But I’m in heat right now, so…”

“Lemme ask you this,” Plagg interrupted.  “How well do you think you’d do fighting a supervillain if you couldn’t stop thinking about Ladybug and how much you want to rub yourself all over her?”

“Not good, but _especially_ if _you mess with my head beforehand like that_ !” Adrien retorted, scowling.  “Whose side are you on?!”   _Don’t think about it, don’t think about it…!_

“Right,” Plagg answered, showing no remorse whatsoever for sending Adrien’s mind to gutter.  “Going through a mating cycle to help ensure you two bare progeny who can inherit your miraculouses would be pretty pointless if it made it easier for your enemies to defeat you.  So, any time either of you start performing enough physical activity for your bodies to start sweating and producing adrenaline, your heats compensate by easing up on the ‘pheramones,’ and instead, your senses and reflexes are sharpened...you’ll be _more_ alert instead of _less_ , and that way, you can better protect each other.”

His interest seized, Adrien was just barely able to avoid losing himself in any lustful fantasies of “rubbing himself all over” Ladybug.

“More alert?” he echoed.  “So, during basketball practice…”

“Your miraculous stopped emitting the ‘lust-for-Ladybug’ pheromones, and instead started emitting the ‘protect-Ladybug’ pheromones, so instead of fantasizing about Ladybug and craving all the lovey-dovey stuff with her, all of your senses and reflexes were basically fine-tuned so that you would perform at 110%.  Obviously, you weren’t actually fighting against a supervillain to protect Ladybug, but it was strenuous physical activity, and it made your body produce adrenaline, so your miraculous responded.”

“Wow…”  Adrien rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully.  “So that means, next time Ladybug and I have a mission, we’ll be able to fight even better than usual?  Ten percent better than normal?”

Plagg nodded.  “Exactly...and ten percent is just a typical average; the more compatible you two are as partners already, the more your performance will be enhanced.  If you two normally worked well enough together just because you were used to it, for example, than you might not notice much of a difference...except you wouldn’t have the urge to make out in the middle of a fight, of course.  On the other hand, if you two make a good team _naturally_ , than you might feel more like 125%...and at that level, you might find that you can sense when your partner is in danger, and be able to anticipate each other’s actions almost perfectly.”

Adrien’s eyes bugged out, and he leaned forward eagerly, unable to keep an excited grin off his face.  “Are you serious, Plagg?  Is it like...reading each other’s minds?  Or, seeing glimpses of the near future?”

“No, it’s more like...as if you two were identical twins.”  Plagg tilted his head and crossed his little arms thoughtfully.  “You’ve read stories about how some identical twins can feel when the other is hurt, or upset?  Or that they can often tell what the other is thinking or feeling a lot better than other people?  It’s really subtle...like, you’ll notice almost invisible signals from each other that you normally wouldn’t catch, and your reaction time for being where your partner needs to be, _exactly_ when they need it, will seem practically perfect, like you two were programmed to always be in-sync.”

“That sounds _amazing_ …” Adrien said, his voice hushed in awe and a giddy smile still stuck on his face.  “We’ll be able to save Paris even more easily than usual!”

“Yeah, probably, but don’t get cocky,” Plagg warned, pointing at Adrien with a tiny black paw.  “Every supervillain is different, after all.”

“But then…”  Adrien pressed his lips together nervously.  “As soon as we win…”

“You’ll go right back to wanting to kiss each other senseless,” Plagg supplied with a smirk.

Adrien sighed.  “Of course…”

“And while we’re on the subject,” Plagg added, “I should probably give you a heads-up on what to expect over the next week, as far as feline tendencies and such.”

“Oh, man…”  Adrien rubbed his eyes.  “Go on, then…”

“The purring will continue for the rest of the cycle.  Ladybug’s scent will start to become more and more attractive to you, and you’ll want to nuzzle her a lot…”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Adrien mused hopefully.

“...And eventually, you’ll want to lick her, too...on her neck, mostly.  To taste her skin, and scent-mark her.”

Adrien choked on his own spit and turned _yet again_ into a blond strawberry.  He covered his glowing-red face with his hands.

_God, what I already wouldn’t give to taste her…!  And see where she might have sweet spots on her neck…!_

He imagined the soft, breathy gasps he might hear from her as he sprinkled kisses under her jaw and behind her ears...the mildly sweet-salty taste of her warm skin…...the squeeze of her arms around him, the gentle scratch of her hands against his back, and the sensation of her body squirming beneath him…!!

“ _And later_ ,” Plagg continued, raising his voice to be heard over Adrien’s fantasizing, “You’ll graduate to love-nips, and start kneading...you know, that thing cats do that some people call ‘making biscuits’?”

Adrien groaned and rubbed his face with his hands, struggling to keep his head on straight.  “And this will all hit me over the next week?!”

“At the rate you two are going, most likely,” Plagg said with a casual shrug.  “Might come on even faster if Hawk Moth keeps himself busy and you two insist on making out after every mission.  Not that I’m judging,” he added, “Just saying, it all depends on you.  Just keep me updated on anything that happens while you’re wearing the suit, m’kay?”

“‘Kay…” Adrien mumbled.

~

After dinner, Adrien took a shower.  He pumped out his pent-up desire for Ladybug in his hand, imagining her there with him, _gloriously_ nude and almost _sparkling_ with the water streaming down over the soft curves of her body.  And he knew her almost every curve by sight (her suit hugged every one), except for those most intimate features of her that only a lover would see:  the color of her bare skin and whatever marks decorated it; her nipples that he knew existed but could only imagine; and the warm, plush folds of her sex hidden between her thighs.  The image was vivid enough to sent hot tingles racing over his skin, but it filled him with a wistful longing to behold her in all her glory in real life, to touch her with all the reverence and affection he felt for her.  He’d wrap his arms around her and press their wet bodies together, and they’d explore each other other with their hands, the slickness of water on skin making the sensation new and exotic.

On a different train of thought, though, he also really liked the image of Ladybug covered in bubbles...and the idea of washing each other’s hair, too.  It made for such a cute picture, and he giggled aloud imagining Ladybug playfully smacking him with a sudsy shower pouf.

“Stop trying to drown yourself and get out of there!  I’m hungry!”

Adrien chuckled at the muffled sound of Plagg yelling to be heard over the running water.  He double-checked to make sure he had rinsed all the suds away before turning the water off.  He could think about Ladybug as much as he wanted without wasting water.

As he grabbed a towel and started drying off, he caught sight of his jacuzzi-style bathtub and wondered if Ladybug was the type to prefer baths or showers as part of her default bathroom routine. Soaking in a hot bath was great for soothing stiff or sore muscles, but Adrien’s day-to-day life often felt too busy to allow for taking that much time to relax; between modeling, fending, basketball, martial arts, and fighting supervillains as Chat Noir, it was not uncommon for Adrien to shower twice a day.  He very much doubted Ladybug had as demanding a daily routine as he did, however, and so he liked to think she took the time once in awhile to indulge herself in a nice long soak in the bath, perhaps with a foamy layer of pleasantly-scented bubbles, or even a bath bomb and candles for special occasions...for some reason, he pictured floating tea-lights and a bath bomb fizzing a sparkly pink color and giving off a scent of...vanilla?  No, not with a pink bath bomb...strawberries?  Or roses?  Some kind of mildly-sweet flower…

Hey, a history of modeling for perfume ads gave him plenty for his imagination to work with, okay?  He wondered if Ladybug would tell him her favorite fragrance if he asked her...or if she liked fragrance on guys or not…

_“...you smell nice, too…”_

Clearly, a morning shower was all he needed for Marinette to find his scent attractive...so maybe cologne would be overdoing it...he’d certainly be very curious to know what Marinette used on herself to make _her_ smell so good!  It couldn’t possibly be perfume or body spray, because he would’ve picked up on the artificially-strong smell immediately.  No, whatever it was, it was mostly natural...for some reason, it made him think of something delicate, warm, and sweet...he was so sure that if he tasted her just _once_ , he wouldn’t want to pull away...what would have happened if he had let himself press his open lips against her neck so he could steal a quick lick off of her skin?  Logical knowledge of the norms of human interaction would obviously discourage such a scandalously-bold move...but _for some reason..._ the only resulting scenario he could picture was Marinette gasping softly in surprised pleasure and wrapping her arms around him to hold him close against her, letting her fingers weave themselves into his hair...a near-silent but unmistakable signal to continue ravishing her…

Adrien’s blood simmered with heat and his nerves tingled with electricity; jacking off in the shower apparently hadn’t helped him much, if his very (ahem) _prominent_ physical reaction was any sign.

 _Oh my god, GET A FUCKING GRIP, ADRIEN!_  He buried his face in his wadded-up towel and bellowed into it.   _You DO NOT think about that stuff with MARINETTE!!  WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!  ...and how many times have I asked myself that?  Uggghhhh…!_

He finished drying himself off vigorously and then wrapped the towel around his waist before coming out of the bathroom.  When he spotted Plagg leering at him from across the room, he scowled, _daring_ the kwami to say something.

“Don’t look at _me_ ,” Plagg drawled.  “I just want my Camembert.  Just bring it to me in the next five minutes, and I won’t doom you to a sleepless night of sexually-frustrated fantasizing.”

Adrien forced himself not to glare at Plagg suspiciously, and instead started putting on pajamas like Plagg’s threat _didn’t_ make him nervous.  “You say that like I won’t have that problem _without_ you messing with me,” he said grumpily over his shoulder.

Plagg flew across the room and landed on Adrien’s bare shoulder, startling him.

“I could make it _worse_ ,” Plagg whispered into Adrien’s ear.  “I could _feed_ you food for thought...tell you _e x a c t l y_ what _Marinette_ could do to you that would turn you into a puddle of purring, kneading, mewing, _writhing_ tomcat in less than a minute...”

 _“Um, what?!”_ Adrien squeaked hoarsely, freezing in the act of putting his arms through the sleeves of a white t-shirt.  “Did you say _Marinette_ could do things to me?!  I thought only Ladybug had special effect on me?!”

Plagg’s mouth stretched into an evil, knowing grin.

“You and _Ladybug_ are the only ones in heat, of course…” he said smoothly, “But you _being_ in heat makes you very _sensitive_ to specific _touches_...in the most cat-like way possible.”

Adrien felt a chill go up his spine.  Then, he gave himself a mental shake and hurriedly pulled the shirt over his head, Plagg leaving his shoulder to avoid getting enveloped in soft cotton.

“Okay, now that I’m _dressed_ , I will get you your Camembert!” Adrien assured him, hurrying over toward his desk.

“Good boy,” Plagg praised, nodding at Adrien pompously.

Adrien scowled, but picked up the phone and called the chef on the intercom, asking for a platter of Camembert to be brought up.  Then he sprawled himself out on his bed as Plagg flew over to Adrien’s couch, where he seated himself to wait for his precious cheese.

“Since I’m probably going to have trouble falling asleep tonight anyway…” Adrien said hesitantly, trying not to sound embarrassed, “Maybe you could tell me a little about what to expect with this so-called ‘sensitivity to certain touches’...?”

Plagg snickered.  “I should’ve known you’d be curious!” he gloated.  “But I guess it might do you some good to warn you…”

Adrien gulped.

“It’s part of the feline tendencies,” Plagg explained.  “The simplest way to put it is, if somebody--particularly Ladybug, of course--pets you like a cat in some way, then you’ll enjoy it like a cat.  She strokes her head?  Bliss.  Massages your neck?  Bliss.  Scratches down your back?  Bliss, and cat-like stretching and writhing in pleasure.  This will all trigger plenty of purring, of course, and later on, kneading and all that other mushy cat stuff.”

Adrien rolled over and buried his face in his pillow to hide his flustered and blushing face.  Every action Plagg listed instantly generated a little fantasy clip in his brain of Ladybug doing those exact things to him, and even without knowing what it would be like to have those feline tendencies surfacing, it was far too easy--though not surprising--to imagine the sensations, and how he might react to them.  He could probably embarrass himself _plenty_ without also reacting like a cat in heat, so he could only _imagine_ what Ladybug could get out of him…

 _And, once again, curiosity killed the cat,_ he thought.   _And in this case, satisfaction will bring me back only for me to get myself killed again.  Why am I like this?  Oh, my lady, what has my love for you done to me…?_

Well, at the moment, it was giving him another troublesome boner.  Again.  Great…

“He’s something interesting about that, though,” Plagg suddenly piped up, jerking Adrien back to the present (barely).  “Getting stroking by Ladybug can also be very soothing, so it can actually help you calm down if you’re feeling too wound up to function.  You’ll still want to rub yourself all over her, of course,” he added, triggering another fantasy for Adrien of him doing just that to Ladybug, which sent more ripples of heat down his body to pool between his legs.  “But you won’t feel nearly as restless and impatient.  Keep that in mind for emergencies, if you like.”

Adrien was too distracted by the imagined sensation of feeling Ladybug’s bare skin rubbing against his to worry about what Plagg might mean by, “emergencies”.  His whole body felt flushed, and his breathing and heartbeat were both fluttering.  Imagining the sounds of her soft, breathy gasps made it twice as bad (or twice as good, depending how you looked at it).  Then he made the mistake of imagining her gasping and moaning his _name_ …

_Mm-nngh… Ah!  C-Chat Noir…!  Kitty…!_

Fuck it, he was a goner.

“...Plagg…” he groaned loudly, muffled by his pillow, “You gotta go up to the loft again…”

He heard Plagg gulp down the last of his cheese and smack his lips.

“Sure thing,” he answered easily.  He floated lazily up towards towards the loft, his little hands behind his head.  “Sweet _dreams!”_ he called, snickering.

Adrien got under the covers, and then slipped his hand under the waistband of his pajama pants.

“Thanks…” he grumbled.  "Goodnight, Plagg..."


	9. Straight Through My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya meets Marinette at school before class to give her the biggest scoop of her life: Adrien Agreste is slowly but most certainly falling for Marinette, and Alya’s got all the evidence she needs from her boyfriend and partner-in-matchmaking, Nino. All Marinette’s gotta do now is make her move! When Adrien shows up moments later, the two twitterpated teenagers share a charged moment, and Marinette is over-the-moon! Too giddy to concentrate on lecture, Marinette spends class time admiring pictures of Adrien on her phone, but then finds herself daydreaming about Chat Noir...remembering and missing his kiss, and wondering how much he already wants her…

>  Straight through my heat
> 
> She aimed and she shot me
> 
> I can't stop the bleeding
> 
> (Whoa-oh)
> 
> \-- The Backstreet Boys, "Straight Through My Heart"

_Tuesday, September 6th_

The first Alya did after getting out of bed Tuesday morning was shoot Marinette a text telling her to get to school a little early, if possible, so that she could pass on what Nino had told her about his conversation with Adrien.  Although Nino still had a lot to learn about interviewing, it sounded from what her boyfriend told her like he was shaping up to be an excellent partner in matchmaking; Alya felt like now she could say with near-absolute certainty that Adrien Agreste was slowly-but-surely falling for Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

After getting dressed, she texted Marinette again as she ate breakfast, knowing that her BFF had a habit of oversleeping.  After she had put her dishes away and brushed her teeth, she sent a third text, just in case.  Then, she grabbed her bag and ran out the door.

 _This is gonna be great!_ _Marinette’s gonna FLIP!_

~

Marinette had already hit “snooze” on her phone’s alarm when Alya’s first text arrived.  She gave no sign that she heard the tell-tale tone, and so Tikki took it upon herself to check Marinette’s messages.

**Alya:  rise n shine! got a HUGE scoop for u! meet me b4 class!**

_Alya’s “huge scoops” are almost always about either Ladybug or Adrien,_ Tikki thought.   _I wonder which one it is this time?  Maybe she got some good video footage of our fight against Doctor Quack…?  Or maybe she caught some candid photos of Adrien!_  Tikki smiled to herself in amusement at the image of Marinette squealing with delight over Adrien’s image.

When Marinette’s alarm went off again, Tikki patted the covers hiding the sleepy girl’s head from view in an attempt to help rouse her from the not-really-sleeping, not-yet-alert state of snoozing.

“Marinette!  Alya sent you a text!  She says she has a “huge scoop” for you!”

Marinette groaned her teenager’s leave-me-alone-and-let-me-sleep groan, but emerged from under the covers enough to look at her phone, squinting groggily at the bright screen.

“What could she have to tell me that’s so important that I have to meet her at school early?” she grumbled.  “There’s no way it’s worth it…”

“Even if it’s about Adrien?” Tikki asked, smiling knowingly.

Marinette pondered this for a few seconds, and then rolled over and slowly sat up with a reluctant groan.

“Okay, _maybe_...but this better be good!” she grumbled, stretching.

Tikki giggled, and then flew into the air out of the way as Marinette threw the covers off.

~

Alya’s second text gave Marinette a bit more motivation:

**Alya:  srsly M, this is BIGGEST SCOOP OF UR LIFE!  ITS ABOUT UR FUTURE LOVER!!!  DONT BE LATE!**

Marinette raised an eyebrow at Alya’s message.  

 _She must mean Adrien, but…“future lover”?  That’s a new one.  And...the biggest scoop of my_ life _?  Geez, what in the world does she think she’s found out?  I already buy every magazine issue Adrien appears in, and I follow everything about him online...and she still remembers I have a copy of the two-page spread of young men’s SWIMWEAR he did for_ La Mode, _right?!  Does she think she’s got something better than THAT?!  She’d have to fly a drone up to his bedroom windows and catch footage of him NAKED to top that!  And there’s no way she’d get away with that...right?_

For a moment, Marinette allowed herself the guilty pleasure of visualizing what a drone’s-eye view of Adrien Agreste in the nude might look like, and positively _squirmed_ in her seat, feeling the beginnings of a lady-boner coming on as her face turned a shade of pink to put her backpack to shame.

 _...Well, I guess I’ll find out sooner or later, either way,_ she thought, giving herself a mental shake.

Once she had finished eating breakfast and cleaning up after herself, Marinette brushed her teeth and then ran back up to her room to get dressed and grab her purse.  On her way out the door, she paused to kiss both of her parents goodbye.

“Bye, Mom!  Bye, Dad!  Oh, wait...”  She glanced between them.  “Is it okay if I take a couple of cookies with me?”

“Sure, sweetie!” her mother replied, straightening a window display of macarons.

Thanks!  I’ll see you later!”  Marinette grabbed two chocolate chip cookies on her way out and slipped them into her purse for Tikki.  The door had barely shut behind her when received another text.  Frowning in confusion, she dug out her phone and saw that, sure enough, it was from Alya...again.

**Alya:  LAST CALL!  im on my way now, and we got 40 mins till class starts!  be there or square!**

Marinette sighed, but smiled as she sent a reply.

**Marinette:  ill be there in 20!  this had better be good!**

When she arrived in front of the school building, she saw Alya already waiting for her outside, holding her phone in both hands as she started down at the screen, practically bouncing with excitement.  Marinette ran up to her, daring to let herself get a little excited.

“Hey!  I made it!” she announced cheerfully.  “So, what’s this HUUUUGE scoop all about?”

The expression on Alya’s face was one of barely-contained euphoria; her eyes were wide and gleaming behind her glasses, and her mouth was stretched out in a gleeful grin.

“Girl, I am about to rock your world!” she proclaimed.  “Oh my god, where do I even begin!  Okay, so, I talked to Nino yesterday and told him he could come clean to Adrien about us playing matchmaker on him, as long as he didn’t reveal that he knows that you already have a crush on Adrien, right?  But I told Nino, I said, ‘This is our chance to try to figure out how _Adrien_ feels about _Marinette_ ,’ so I gave Nino some advice for how to interrogate Adrien about you without sounding suspicious, and so, once he was done talking to me, he called Adrien to talk to _him_.  Are you getting all this?”

“Uh, yes, I think so, but now I’m worried!” Marinette whined, fidgeting nervously.  “I’m sure your coaching was great, but Nino...is Nino sneaky enough to pull that off without letting something slip?  And is he sharp enough to pick up on any little clues Adrien gives off?  And not even face-to-face, but _over the phone_?  You’re the reporter, Alya, you might be able to do it, but Nino…?”

“No, believe me, I had my doubts, too,” Alya said, nodding smugly.  “So I didn’t try give him more information than I knew he could handle.  I didn’t expect him to try anything too sneaky.  But not only did Nino get Adrien to talk, he took _notes_ while he was listening, and he called me back right after their conversation to give me his report!” she gushed.  “Oh, I was _so proud of him!_  And, oh my god... Marinette…”  Alya leaned in dramatically.  “I got ALL the sweet and dirty deets for you!”

Marinette’s eyes were now bugging out, as she tried and failed to not start freaking out over the implications of Alya’s statement.  She could feel her heart hammering against her rib cage.

“What?  Nino asked Adrien about me and Adrien actually _talked about me?!_ ” she squealed, leaning in excitedly with her hands squeezed into fists under her chin.  “Oh my god, Alya, what did he say?!  What did he tell Nino?!  TellmetellmetellmetellmetellmetellmetellmeTELLME!!”

Alya raised her phone.

“Allow me to refer to my notes!  Let’s see… About your big reunion on the first day of school?  Adrien literally said he _didn’t even know what came over him_ …  And then, Nino decided to be gutsy, and _asked him if he thought he might like you_ …”

“ _What?!_ ” Marinette squeaked.  She started hopping from foot to foot in a panic.  “Oh no...that’s bad...what did he say?!  WHAT DID HE SAY, ALYA?!”

Alya held up a placating hand, still smirking.  “He _very nervously and shyly_ asked Nino where this question was coming from, and Nino reminded him about the pick-up-and-hug-and-spin thing, and Adrien _got super flustered and defensive_ , and said, and Nino quotes, ‘I...okay, I can totally picture what it must have looked like, but...I really...I don’t…’ _but then just trailed off!_  Nino said there was, like, five whole seconds of silence! 

“And _then,_ he goes, ‘Even if I _did_ , what about _Marinette_ ?  She hasn’t shown any special interest in me that I’ve noticed.’  Marinette, he _started to try to deny it, but he didn’t finish!_ He didn’t say he _didn’t_ like you! And then he asked about YOU!  He wanted to know how YOU felt! He’s obviously oblivious as FUCK if he hasn’t noticed you showing him any ‘special interest,’ but this is exactly what I _thought_ was going on!  He’s starting to fall for you, but he’s afraid to admit to himself and to you because he doesn’t know how YOU feel!  You get it?!   _He’s vul-ner-a-ble!_ ”

Marinette gaped mutely at Alya as she struggled to comprehend everything she was hearing, with her brain working at about half-speed.

She eventually whispered, “So...you think...he’s falling in love with me, but he doesn’t realize it? And he still has no idea that I love him?”

“Exactly,” Alya replied, crossing her arms with an emphatic nod.  “Or, even better, he might be starting to realize now that he _is_ falling for you, since Nino’s planted the seed in his mind!  In fact, my guess is he’s already noticed that he feels something special for you, because if he really had no idea, he would have automatically told Nino that he didn’t like you that way!  He _tried_ \--he _started to_ \--but he couldn’t!”  Alya raised her arms and pumped her fists.  “Ha ha!  Girl, we’ve got him right where we want him!”

Marinette lunged forward and grabbed Alya by both arms in her eagerness.  “Oh my god, Alya, what do I do?  How do I win over Adrien?  Alya, tell me, I need to know!!”

“Easy there, girl!” Alya chuckled, patting Marinette on the head.  “He’s already as good as yours, so you don’t have to do much; you just gotta send the right signals and drop the right hints to encourage him to make a move on you!  And while you’re at it, you keep working on getting over your shyness around him, ‘cause he’s gotta start picking up on the fact that you’ve got your eyes on him!”

Marinette let go of Alya’s arms and groaned, her entire upper body sagging dramatically.  “Alya, I’ve been trying to get over my shyness since last year!  And he didn’t notice!  How am I going to do better _this_ year?”

“”Well, _this_ time, you don’t have to pressure yourself to _tell_ him that you like him!  Not right away, anyway,” Alya explained, holding out a finger.  “You’re gonna _lure him in_!  We’ll start out subtle, and then keep turning up the heat until there’s no doubt left in his mind that you want him!  As soon as catches on, he’ll make his move, and then it’s just a matter of who confesses first!

“That still sounds like something I’m bound to screw up,” Marinette remarked.  “But I guess this time, I don’t have to worry as much about him not feeling the same way…”

“You got _that_ right!” Alya crowed.  “So, starting today, here’s your assignment:  whenever your eyes meet, see if you can hold eye-contact with him for at least one second, instead of glancing away all shyly and nervously like you usually do.  And tomorrow, wear an off-the-shoulder or peekaboo-shoulder top.”

“What?!” Marinette squawked in alarm.  “How is showing off my bare shoulders subtle and modest?!”

“Er, _relatively_ subtle and modest!” Alya said sheepishly, grinning as Marinette turned pink in the face.  “For all he knows, It’s just you feeling like wearing something a little _cheekier_ than usual!  You’re not gonna ask him what he thinks about your outfit, or anything, you’re just drawing his eyes to you a little more deliberately!  Other than the eye-contact thing, you don’t have to act any differently!”

Marinette pursed her lips thoughtfully as her brow furrowed.  It _sounded_ like it _might_ be doable…

“Okay, I’ll give it a try,” she finally said.  She tried to put on a brave face.

“Yeah!  Go for it!!” Alya cheered.  She glanced to the side, towards the street, and her face slowly morphed into a smile that was downright _diabolical_ . 

_Oh no...don’t tell me…!_

“Just in time...okay, girl, go get ‘im!  I’ll see you in class!”

She walked past Marinette, giving her a hearty pat on the shoulder, and disappeared through the school doors...leaving Marinette slowly turning on the spot to see Adrien getting out of the family car at the curb.

_Oh, god…!  I’m so nervous, I’m gonna pass out…!_

~

Adrien caught sight of her as he shut the car door behind him.  He stood there and blinked, staring at her from across the sidewalk...she stared back, frozen in place and stiff as a board, and Adrien suddenly realized he couldn’t remember whether this was normal for her or not...did she usually look like a startled rabbit, like she had yesterday? It _seemed_ enough like the Marinette he knew...he wasn’t struck by the sense that she was suddenly acting out-of-character...but at the same time, something was _nagging_ at him...if this _was_ normal for her, how come he never noticed how odd it was before?

After one, maybe two seconds, he blinked again and _started_ , realizing he had been staring at her like a weirdo... _again!_  He smiled and waved at her, hoping he didn’t look as self-conscious as he felt.

“Uh hey, Marinette!  H-how are you this morning?”

“Uh hi!” she squeaked back, managing an awkward grin and a stiff wave back.  “Adrien!  Hi!  Um!  Good morning!  I mean, I’m good!  This morning, I mean!  How are you?!  Wait, did I ask that already…?”

“No, I’m good!” he replied, hesitantly walking over.  “Shall we head to class?” he asked.  “The bell’s probably gonna ring any minute.”

“What?  Oh, uh...yeah, sure!”  Marinette trailed after him as he approached the school doors.  Adrien swore he could _feel_ her eyes on him...but at least with her behind him, he couldn’t be distracted by the sight of her pale, slender neck…

...but leaving her to follow him seemed rude, somehow, when he could let her walk _with_ him.  And besides…

_“Seriously, dude, you could get a lot closer to her if you want to...you just gotta loosen up a bit!  Keep it real, you know?”_

...he wasn’t going to figure out his own feelings by trying to avoid them, right?

He slowed to a stop to allow Marinette to catch up with him.  He heard her footsteps slow down as she approached, as though she wasn’t sure if it was okay to get close to him.  He turned to look at her over his shoulder.

“Coming?” he asked, smiling.

“Huh?”  She froze, clearly caught off-guard.  “Uh, yeah!”   She grinned at him; it was a grin he was very familiar with--it was probably the expression he saw Marinette wearing most often when he interacted with her--only, this time, it struck him how nervous and awkward she looked. 

Had she always acted this way around him?  Why?  He could understand if she had started feeling uneasy around him after he started acting like an attention-starved cat, but she hadn’t really treated him differently since then…

_“Were you...sniffing me?”_

_“...You smell nice, too.”_

...well, unless her saying things like _that_ to him counted!

“Adrien…?”

Marinette’s voice jerked him out of his thoughts, and he blinked several times to clear his head.  She had stopped right beside him, and was now looking up at him curiously, her hands bunched together under her chin like a hamster.

Adrien sighed and rubbed a hand over his face in frustration.  “Sorry, I...must’ve spaced out for a second…”

“You...were staring at me…” she remarked hesitantly, her brows furrowed in concern.  “Do I...have something on my face…?”  She raised a hand uncertainly to her cheek and started biting her lip...

 _No, don’t do that…_  “No, no!  You’re fine!”  Without thinking, he reached out toward her cheek and gently touched the tip of his thumb to her lips.  “Your lips are going to get chapped if you keep doing that, though.”

Marinette’s eyes popped in surprise as her lip popped free from her teeth.  The movement of her lip relaxing under his thumb felt like a tiny kiss, and Adrien felt like his heart had slammed itself against the inside of his rib cage.  It was a miracle he managed to keep himself from squeaking out loud.  He had just enough presence of mind to take his hand away, but he was already blushing hot enough to feel it in his neck.  Unable to hold her gaze, he rubbed the back of his head self-consciously.

“Uh…!”  His instinct was to apologize for his boldness ( _again_ ), but at this point, he felt like he had committed too many transgression against her for it to mean much anymore.  But, also...glancing at her, he didn’t see any sign that she was offended...she was just staring at him with wide eyes...in amazement…?  And…

...she was _blushing_ …?

The bell rang right at that moment, and they both jumped and yelped in surprise.

“Come on!”  Marinette grabbed his hand as she dashed past him, and he struggled to keep up as she dragged him along at an awkward run.  It shouldn’t have been a big deal...but the soft, warm squeeze of her hand on his made his heart _swell_ with excitement…

...and that’s when he started to get the feeling that he was _really_ screwed...because it used to be only Ladybug’s touch that could do that to him.

_Oh god...what am I gonna dooooo?!_

~

Marinette wasn’t sure where she suddenly gained the confidence to take Adrien’s hand, let alone drag him with her all the way to the classroom....but that wasn’t even what she was freaking out over.

_Alya was right._

Adrien had wanted to walk to class together with her!  And then, she caught him staring at her again!  Oh, she wished she could tell what he was thinking when he did that!  Could he have been thinking about her?  If he was staring at _her_ , then he must have been _thinking_ about her, right?!

But even _that_ hadn’t been all of it...no, not even the _best part_ !  The part that just about made her heart pop like a balloon was when Adrien had reached out and _touched his thumb to her lips_ ...she had barely realized she had been biting her lip until that moment, but even after that, she had fixated on the fact that Adrien had mentioned her _lips_ , because how would it have occurred to him to worry about her lips getting chapped if he hadn’t _already_ been _thinking_ about them, right?!  Because he had been staring at them, too!!  Right?!

_And then…!_

_He blushed…! she thought, feeling like she might pass out face-down into the desk any second.  There’s no way I could’ve imagined it, right?!  Oh my god, Adrien is SO FREAKING CUTE WHEN HE’S BLUSHING, I CAN’T EVEN HANDLE IT!!  EEHEEEE!!!  Wait, so...he blushed when he touched my lips...and he was staring at me so much...I can’t think of any other explanation:  he’s starting to fall for me!  Just like Alya said!  OH MY GOD, I’M SO HAPPY!!!  THIS IS GONNA BE THE YEAR!!_

And so began another day of classes that Marinette took zero notes for.  Hardly a thought passed through her mind that _wasn’t_ about Adrien.  Marinette would have pointed to the fact that, again (as always), Adrien was _right there_ in front of her where she could stare at him all day.  Couple that with everything that had been happening between the two of them in the past week or two, and she was a goner.  And she was right...to a point.  But if she had spared just a moment to remember how much she had been thinking about Chat Noir lately--how she had _gotten off_ to _fantasies_ of him just last night!--she might have realized how strange it was that Adrien now completely dominated her imagination…

But, _because_ he was _right there_ , she didn’t.  She replayed the morning’s miraculous interaction with Adrien until it was time for the next class.  Then, she replayed all of the _rest_ of her favorite interactions from the past two weeks; every gaze, every word, every touch.

During literature, the third class of the day, Marinette propped her text book up against a short stack of three others on her half of the desk, so that she could sneak a peek at the pictures in her secret “Adrien <3” photo folder on her phone.  Her current favorite was a collage she had made of all the swimwear looks Adrien had modeled back in early summer. 

Adrien had unfortunately been unable to accept Alya’s invitation to go to the beach with her, Nino, and Marinette over summer vacation, but the pictures of Adrien modeling _various_ styles of men’s swimwear had almost made up for it.  Both then, and now, she found it impossible to decide which looks were her favorites.  It was ridiculous how Adrien could make any pair of swimming trunks or board shorts look as designer-brand as they were (admittedly, they _were_ all brightly colored and pattered).  And the _speedos_ ...well, if he had shown up at the beach wearing _those_ in person, she probably would have had a heart attack right then and there.  On the other hand, the wetsuits and drysuits looked amazing on him, too, even though they showed very _little_ bare skin. It was probably something about how gloriously form-fitting they were.

Actually, _Chat Noir_ looked pretty amazing in _his_ very form-fitting suit, too...that wasn’t too weird to say, was it?  She’d have to be _blind_ not to notice his lean but athletic musculature.  And hadn’t he said something to her once about him looking really good in a swimsuit…?  Well, with a body like _that_ …

 _Ahem!_ Anyway, one thing was for sure:  both Adrien and Chat Noir were _very_ attractive boys...boys with very nice pectorals, which would probably be _so nice_ to caress...actually, they probably had very nice _everythings_ that would be really nice to touch…

Chat Noir, though...being as in-love with her as he was...he probably thought _she_ had very nice...features...right?

 _And MY suit is just as form-fitting as his is...so does he ever, like...ogle me?_ she wondered.   _Actually, maybe it would be weirder if he_ didn’t _...he’s a teenage boy who I now know has been in love with me for over a year, and NOW we’re under the influence of a mating cycle!  Oh wow...does he think I’m…_  She blushed.   _Does he think I’m...beautiful?  Does he think I’m..._ sexy??  I _think_ Adrien _is gorgeous, and hot, and sexy, and all that, so then...Chat Noir probably thinks about_ me _that way, right?!  Wow...that’s...an interesting train of thought…_

Marinette had been raised her to have pride and confidence in herself.  She was never one to brag, or rub her capabilities into other people’s faces--that was just mean-spirited--and she took compliments politely, but she also _knew_ that she had a lot of creative skills, was a pretty-darn-good gamer, and also very lucky to have inherited some very good genes from her family.  She was cute, she was pretty, and she knew this!

But, no matter how proud you were of your own appearance, knowing that other people sincerely  thought you were attractive was a whole other thing.  Yes, she was beautiful in her own unique way, but to think about _Chat Noir_ thinking she was beautiful…!  She couldn’t recall any occasion when he had said so to her face, but…

_“Um, excuse you, sir!  But if you can mistake my Lady’s ethereal beauty...for a SKIN CONDITION, I’d say YOU would be the one who needs operating on!  May I recommend laser eye surgery?  Because you are BLIND!”_

“Ethereal beauty,” huh?  It was part of one of Chat Noir’s wisecracking comebacks, so it wasn’t nearly as flattering as a straight-up compliment given directly to her would have been, but still…

_Wait...when he confessed to me, what was it he said he liked about me, again?  He said a lot… I think I wrote down everything I could remember in my diary after I got back that afternoon... I should read that entry, maybe while I'm having lunch…_

Even though she couldn't remember exactly what Chat Noir's words had been, she could remember with striking clarity his earnest expression as he gazed into her eyes and told her that he loved her...his smile had been so warm, and so had his eyes...and, _oh_ , when he had kissed her…! 

Marinette felt herself blush, and buried her face in her arm on the desk.

She would _never_ forget that look on his face as he brought his hand so tenderly to her cheek, and she would _never, ever_ forget how _incredible_ it had felt to kiss him.  And it wasn't because the moment had been so memorable that it would never fade from her mind (human brains tended to be disappointing that way, which was the whole point of keeping a diary), and it wasn't because she had described it in excruciating detail in her diary, either.  It was because…

 _It will happen again,_  Marinette thought determinately.   _I_ will _kiss him again...I_ want _too!  And again and again and again...and I want to see how_ else _he wants to show me all that affection he’s kept bottled up for me!  I want to hear what else he thinks about me...how I make him feel...and when I can find the words for how_ I _feel about_ him... _I’ll tell him.  He deserves to know, and it would make him so happy!  He might_ act _like he has a huge ego, but he's the_ opposite _of self-centered, and he's sensitive, in the_ good _way: he responds so_ much _to whatever I make him feel, and that makes_ me _feel so…powerful?  No, that's not the right word… Desirable?  Yeah...it feels like he lets himself be open and vulnerable to me...or like whatever I made him feel was too strong to...stifle!  Oh my gosh, he…!  It's like he…_

_..wants me…!_

This thought almost seemed presumptuous, but she remembered the way he had moaned softly into their second kiss, and the way he had looked at her, and it was just _obvious!_  He was in love with her!  Why _wouldn’t_ he want her that way?

Either way she looked at it, this realization felt mind-blowing to her, and it provoked a whole new series of mind-blowing thoughts:  Chat Noir probably longed to do _so much more_ than kiss her, because he had been in love with her as long as she had been in love with Adrien, and _she_ sure fantasized about doing a lot more than kissing _him!_  Hell, she had gotten off to thoughts of both Adrien and Chat Noir just last night! 

 _Oh, crap…_  This only made her recall some of those very same fantasies, along with the realization that Chat Noir--her goofball of a cat-boy partner--almost surely fantasized about her as much as she had ever fantasized about Adrien...and those fantasies would include…

 _Kissing me...seeing me_ naked _..._ touching _me,_ all over _..._ kissing _me all over...HAVING SEX WITH ME…!  
_

Fortunately for Marinette's emotional stability, her brain hadn't had enough practice fantasizing about Chat Noir to automatically generate visualizations of him doing all of these things to her, but she _could_ imagine all too easily being wrapped up in a torrid embrace by him while he kissed her passionately and gently but feverishly drag his tongue and teeth all over her neck and restlessly scratch at her waist and ribs with his claws…

Marinette squirmed slightly in her seat and squeezed her thighs together in a useless attempt to stave off the arousal she felt collecting there.  Lunchtime couldn't come soon enough.

~

Adrien’s heart was still pounding by the time lecture started, at least two minutes after he sat down next to Nino (who was almost surely staring at him, now...great…).  Honestly, he was prepared to suffer heart palpitations all through class, considering that Marinette was--AS ALWAYS--was sitting right behind him. But that was the problem:  she always sat there behind him, and for the rest of the term, she would probably _continue_ to sit there...which meant that as long as Adrien continued to harbor these...feelings for Marinette, whatever they were, his concentration would continue to suffer all through class.  

Adrien had always been a very diligent student, and while he was just as prone to letting his mind wander during lecture as the average teenager, he never let it affect his grades (Adrien Agreste, the son of Gabriel Agreste, was not allowed to carry anything less than an 80% average).  Nino, he knew, would happily continue to share his notes with him, but sooner or later, he was bound to ask questions if he continued to ask for them almost every day.

That he was _in heat_ along with Ladybug had been _more_ than enough to turn his life topsy-turvy!   _Why_ was he so irresistibly drawn to Marinette?  Was it really as simple as Plagg suggested? Was he...really falling in love with her?  His heart throbbed nervously at the thought, and he just barely resisted the urge to look at her over his shoulder.

If that was really all there was to it, why would it happen during his mating cycle of all times, the four months during which he was _least_ likely to be interested in anyone other than Ladybug?  The timing was just too uncanny for him to get over it...and there was also the romantic in him that shied away from the idea that he could want to kiss any girl other than Ladybug, heat or not.

Well, kiss in addition to... _other things_ …

_Wait, no, don’t continue that thought…!_

Too late.

...Marinette’s lips had been _so_ soft against the tip of his thumb...granted, it wasn’t even remotely the same as actually kissing her, but still...oh, kissing her would probably feel _so_ nice…!  Would she wrap her arms around his neck or bury her fingers in his hair or tenderly cup his face in her hands?  He imagined nuzzling her cheeks and under her chin against her neck...she’d probably make really cute sounds…! Would she sigh softly in contentment?  Mew like a tiny kitten? Coo like a dove? Would she tilt her head back to expose more of her neck to him, so that he could sprinkle it with kisses and taste her soft, warm skin...? 

_Oh no oh no oh no oh nooooo…_

And now he had a boner creeping up on him.

_Why is this happening to meeeeeee??_

Adrien suffered in silence until the lunch bell rang.  By then he was _fairly_ confident he could walk out of there, but he positioned his messenger bag very deliberately and strategically just in case.  If Nino was the only one who noticed and recognized his behavior, he’d consider himself fortunate.

But of course, Nino had to throw an arm around his shoulders and pull him aside as soon as they left the classroom.

“Dude…” he muttered conspiratorially into Adrien’s ear.  “Unless you’ve got your eye on _another_ girl I don’t know about...or _Marinette_ just suddenly falls for some other guy--”

Adrien instantly felt his stomach clench briefly at the mere idea, and he subsequently felt the urge the bang his head against the wall.  Repeatedly. What was this crazy world coming to, for him to suddenly feel in any way _possessive_ of Marinette?!  He had no right! She wasn’t _his_!!

Not yet, anyway.

_Oh, for...someone please shoot me..._

“--which will never happen...for reasons...you two have got it _made_.  Or you would, if one of you would make a move.  If I were you…” He gave Adrien a friendly pat on the shoulder.  “...I would accept and cherish your destiny.”

And then, clearly pleased with himself, Nino walked off, replacing his baseball cap on his head.  Adrien just stood gaping after him for a moment...and then decided he didn’t have the energy to freak out about it any more.  He needed to get out of the school for an hour and eat...if he could muster the appetite.


	10. So Crazy For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawk Moth’s newest supervillain appears; business as usual, except for two things: First, this supervillain is a familiar face, which makes things a little more personal; and second, Ladybug and Chat Noir both anticipate having a very important TALK afterward… ;)  
> It’s only when Ladybug finds herself alone with Chat Noir that she finally realizes just how deeply she’s fallen for him, and so she finally tells him what’s he’s dreamed of hearing for so long. The two lose themselves in a torrid embrace and many heated kisses, which brings out a little more of the lust-hungry tomcat in Chat Noir than the two have seen so far until now!
> 
> When Marinette finally returns home, she’s able to treat herself to the orgasm she’s been looking forward to all day, and even figures out her way around her g-spot after some patient sexual exploration and experimentation. When she finds herself craving cuddles from Chat Noir to the point of mild distress, however, she learns from Tikki that her symptoms are progressing very quickly, now: her body will start to crave Chat Noir’s touch more and more, and she’s due to start getting super wet very soon, as well. What’s a Ladybug in heat to do?!

_Tuesday_

If Tikki hadn’t been with Marinette to make sure she didn’t wander off in the wrong direction, Marinette could easily have gotten lost and run over by a car, with how lost in thought she was on her way home for lunch.

“Wait, Marinette!” she chirped, sticking her head out of Marinette’s purse.  “Home is _that_ way!  Go back and go left!  Across the street!”

“What…?  Oh!”  Marinette stopped and retraced her steps, following Tikki’s pointing arm.  “Thanks, Tikki...sorry, I was...distracted.”

“I figured!” Tikki said, smiling up at her.  “Just stay aware of your surroundings!”

Before Marinette could respond, she hear a noise in the distance that sounded like a cross between the cracking of a tree falling and the rumbling of an earthquake.

“Do you hear that?” Tikki exclaimed.  “It sounds like an earthquake!”

“Yeah, but...I don’t feel the ground shaking…” Marinette remarked, looking around for the source of the sound.  “And I don’t see any dust rising...if it was an earthquake, buildings and stuff would be falling, right?”

“Only if it was strong enough...and if you can’t feel the tremors…”

“Well, whether it’s an earthquake or something else, it could be the doing of a supervillain either way!” Marinette said, turning around and running towards the sound.  “We’ll just have to check it out!”

Marinette squeezed herself into the first alleyway she found (which might not have qualified as an alleyway at all, since the space between the building was barely wide enough for a bicycle).  She regretted not looking for a wider alleyway when she scraped her nose on the brick and felt her hair getting messed up, but she was hidden from view, which was what mattered.

“Tikki, transform me!”

Suited up and spotted, she made to take out her yo-yo, only to find that she didn’t have enough room to move her arms to reach it.

“Ugh, I guess this’ll teach me to pick my changing spots more carefully…”  She shimmied back the way she had come, trying to ignore the stinging in the tip of her nose, and then took to the rooftops.  She kept her eyes peeled for any signs of chaos going down:  sounds of people panicking, people running, police sirens, helicopters, buildings collapsing…

However, the first unusual thing she caught sight of was what looked like climbing roses growing up the sides of Collége Françoise-Dupont and across the lawn and streets in all directions.  The roses were oversized and pitch black, and the stems and leaves were covered in thorns.  They didn’t seem to be causing any damage to the building, but anyone trapped inside risked getting hurt if they tried to get out, especially if the roses had any magical powers, which was highly likely.  Traffic accidents were quite likely to happen at the rate the roses were growing, and any pedestrians out walking about would be helpless.  The sooner she could find the supervillain and capture the akuma, the better.  Hopefully, Chat Noir had heard the sound of the roses growing, too, and would be joining her soon to help take this supervillain down…

 _I hope our team dynamic won’t get thrown off by our heats…_ she thought.   _I don’t think my symptoms have gotten bad enough for me to suddenly have the urge to jump him as soon as I see him, so he can’t be any worse off, right?  Still, I don’t know how I’m going to act normal around him...I’ve been thinking about him--fantasizing about him!--a lot today!  I’ve kinda made up my mind to kiss him silly when I see him, and I was hoping to read what I wrote about his confession in my diary and rub one out before I go back to class!!  Ugh, just thinking about is getting me all bothered again…_

_Wait...will he be able to smell how aroused I am at this point in the cycle?!  Oh crap, I forgot about that until now!  If he notices, he’d BETTER not say anything rude!!_

Ladybug perched on the roof of the Agreste estate and cast her eyes around trying to locate the supervillain among the thousands of huge black roses.  If they were the same color as the plants they had summoned, and were content to wait for her and Chat Noir to come to them, this might be difficult…

Her bug-phone rang right then, and she quickly snatched it up from behind her hip and hit the answer button.

“Chat Noir!  Are you following the...wait, the wall behind you is _covered_ with roses!  Are they harmless, then?”

 _“That’s the weird thing,”_ Chat Noir replied, glancing sideways at a rose sticking out next to his shoulder.  He was keeping his voice low, so she guessed he was trying to stay hidden.   _“The fragrance they give off is so strong it’s giving me a headache, but they don’t seem to do anything… Seriously though, imagine every single one of these roses was a scented-oil plug-in, and then multiply your own sense of smell by 1.5, and you’ll get an idea of what I’m enduring right now.  But then, what’s the point of making them grow all over Paris?  It can’t just be for decoration, or I would hope there would be a lot more colors!”_  He tossed his head to make his hair swoosh and smirked.   _“I mean, I know_ I _make the color black look good, but I have charisma and feline charm!  And cunning wit and star power AND animal magnetism!”_

“A little modesty would go a long way,” she deadpanned, trying to look exasperated instead of amused.  “Anyway, the _point_ is, we need to track down the supervillain who’s the roses grow and capture the akuma, or all of Paris will smell like plug-ins and be covered in thorns.  Have you got any leads?”

He quickly got serious.   _“I’m pretty sure the baddie in question is in the gym.  I actually caught sight of her earlier, and I’m trying to see if I can sneak up on her.  I think…”_  He grimaced.   _“I think it’s Aimee, the girl from before who got akumatized into Summer Fae; I recognized her.”_

“What?!” Ladybug gasped.  “Hawk Moth akumatized her a second time?!  That’s horrible...I wonder what happened that upset her this time, and if it’s anything like what got her akumatized the first time…”

 _“If it happened here, while she was still at school, then it probably was.  I guess the selfie I took with her didn’t stop those girls from bullying her again…”_  His cat ears drooped slightly.

“There wasn’t anything else you could have done, and we can’t keep watch over everyone to make sure they never experience negative emotions,” she said gently.  “We’ll make this right, turn Aimee back to normal, and then see what we can do to help her, okay?”

 _“Yeah, okay,”_ he said, smiling gratefully back at her.  Her heart gave a strange wiggle in her chest.

 _Too bad we’re not talking face-to-face...I kinda want to kiss him right now,_ she mused, before mentally smacking herself.   _Oh my god, get it together, Ladybug!  You’ve got a job to do!_

She took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

“So...if she’s just waiting in the gym, and not out looking for anyone or anything, she must expect us to come to _her._ Hawk Moth wouldn’t let her just hang around without a plan to beat us and take our Miraculouses, and she must have something she wants, too…”

 _“Yeah, I figured this was probably a trap,”_ Chat Noir replied with a nod.   _“That’s why I figured sneaking up on her might give us an advantage...but maybe going in guns blazing would catch her off-guard just as much?”_  He tilted his head back and forth indecisively.   _“If I used Cataclysm on the right spot, I could probably clear a way in…”_

“Only if there’s no other way to get in...we might need your superpower to get us out of a tight spot later.  Here, let me come to you; I’ll track your location on my bug-phone.”

 _“Sure thing!”_  He cracked a cheeky grin.   _“Don’t get lost in the garden tracking down this black beauty, now!”_  He said this with a hearty wink and jabbed a thumb at himself.  Ladybug smiled and rolled her eyes at his antics.

“You’re the only black thing that’s talking and moving, so I don’t think it’ll be hard,” she said.  “Actually, I could probably sneak up on you, since you won’t be able to smell me coming with all that rose perfume around.”

 _“You think I’ve_ always _had a cat’s sense of smell?  I’m flattered!”_  He chuckled.   _“Honestly, I’m happy to just wait until after we prune the garden…”_  He leaned in close to the screen, putting on another flirtatious smile.   _“...then I can smell you free from interference...if you’re partial to the idea, of course...”_  Another cheeky wink.

Ladybug’s eyes popped, and it felt like her heart jumped and hit its head.  She could imagine--so easily--the sensation of Chat Noir’s breath on her neck, and her imagination wanted to run away with it and add the feeling of his hands tenderly holding her face...moving one hand up the back of her neck to weave his fingers into her hair as he traced her collarbone with the claws of the other…

_For fuck’s sake, get a grip, Ladybug!!  You have an akuma to catch and a city full of citizens to save!!  For shame..._

She could feel herself blushing, and hoped Chat Noir hadn’t noticed anything off about her expression...ugh, how embarrassing…!

“Um…!  Let’s not...get distracted while we’re supposed to be protecting Paris.  Also, after we’ve taken care of this latest supervillain...I actually...have some stuff I wanna talk about with you, so...let’s get this over with, huh?”

Chat Noir’s eyebrows shot up and he blinked at her in surprise.  Then, his expression turned sly ( _this darn cat…!_ ).

 _“Right...gotcha!  Let’s get straight down to business, save Paris, and then I’ll be happy to hang back and ‘talk’  alllllllll you want~!”_  He shot her his trademark eyebrow-wiggle-and-cheeky-grin combo, and Ladybug had to clench her jaw to keep it from dropping open. 

_Is he for real right now?!  Am I the only one who’s all nervous and bashful?!  No way, that’s not fair…_

Chat Noir broke the tension by bursting into laughter.  The sound made her heart _throb_ and a tiny shiver went up the back of her neck; it was such a pure and happy sound...it made her feel warm and sunny inside.  It had been such a long time since she had heard him laugh like that…

...wait.   _Had_ she heard him laugh like that before?  She couldn’t remember when…

 _“Sorry, sorry!  I’ll behave, I promise!”_ he chuckled.   _“Aw man, you shoulda seen your face…!”_

 _He really does have a bright smile…_ she thought, smiling.

“Silly kitty,” she said.  “We’ve been chatting too long; I’m gonna hang up and swing on over.”

_“Okie dokie!  See you soon!”_

She hung up and located the blinking green paw print on the map on her bug-phone, showing where Chat Noir was relative to her location.  She still couldn’t get into her fight-ready mood for the fight with a supervillain that was surely to come. 

_How am I going to keep myself from scooping him up into a big hug when I see him?  Or just smacking him a big ol’ kiss??  I can’t deny it anymore…He’s just too dorky and adorable...He’s adorkable!  Ah, I’m a mess..._

~

As soon as Ladybug dropped down beside the school building, the smell of the roses hit her like a tidal wave.

“Urgh!”  She pinched her nose shut as she slipped around the corner.  Even without Chat Noir’s enhanced sense of smell, the stench was almost strong enough to make her start coughing.  Sure enough, it was like the entire building was covered in scented plug-ins.  The roses smelled just like _real_ roses, but just WAY too strong to be pleasant.

Just around the corner, she found Chat Noir waiting for her, sitting like a cat for no reason that she could think of except for the heck of it.  He looked up excitedly as she approached and beamed at her, blinking once very slowly at her.  The gesture struck her as very endearing, even though it was odd to see someone blink so slowly…

“Hi…” he greeted her, all traces of his earlier bravado replaced with warm sincerity.

“Hi, kitty,” she greeted, squatting down next to him.  She reached out without thinking and started affectionately scratching his scalp through his thick blonde hair.  His eyes widened at her forwardness, and she swore she could almost see sparkles in his eyes.  Then, his eyelids drooped and a lazy smile spread across his face as seemed to sag slightly in place.  Then, she heard it…

_Awwww, he’s purring!  I’m making him purr!!  Oh my god, he’s so cute, I can’t handle it!!  Hnnnng, wanna kiss hiiiiiiiiimm…!!!_

_SHUT THE FUCK UP, LADYBUG!!!_

She affectionately brushed his bangs out of his face before reluctantly ( _v-e-r-y_ reluctantly) pulling back.  She made a mental note to play with his hair more later.

“Come on, _chaton_ ,” she said, standing up.  “Let’s find a way into the school and take care of Aimee, okay?”

Chat Noir blinked several times and then gave his head a vigorous shake, like a cat with something stuck to its face.

“Y-yeah, uh, right!”  He stood up next her, and then gagged and pinched his nose shut.

“Ugh, these roses are _horrible!_ ” he grumbled.  “My head is killing me...URGH!”  He abruptly let go of his nose and coughed.  “Oh, god-- _ACK!_ \--don’t breathe through your mouth, that makes it even _worse!_ ”

Ladybug glanced at him in confusion.  She had just pinched her own nose shut and had found breathing through her mouth to be a vast improvement, though it left an unpleasant aftertaste in her mouth.

“If you say so…” she said.  She turned toward the rose-covered wall and backed up several paces to get a better view of the side of the building.  Looking up at the edge of the roof, she knew she could easily use her yo-yo to get up there, but was it safe?  Having Chat Noir use Cataclysm on the thorny wall of roses was another option, of course, but as she had told him earlier, doing this seemed wasteful and risky.  There was no telling what would happen once they confronted the supervillain-turned-Aimee inside, and they might need his Cataclysm later.  Chat Noir could also get to the roof using his staff, but again, they had no idea what might happen.  Trying to shove their way through the roses by force was obviously a bad idea, even if their supersuits protected them from getting pricked by the thorns.  Just because all the roses had done so far was stink up the place didn’t mean they were harmless.  Who knew what would happen if they were touched?

She remembered that the gym of the school was in the very center of the building under an opening in the roof.  She didn’t think she could jump down into it from any nearby buildings--they were all just a bit too far away.  Chat Noir might be able to propel himself over the opening with his staff and drop down into it without touching the school building, but she couldn’t do the same thing with her yo-yo without something to lasso.  She supposed she could lasso his staff if he extended it up through the roof, but once he was inside, the supervillain would probably spring into action, and then their plan might be fucked.  They should drop down into the gym together, so that neither of them risked being captured without the other’s support, or left behind if the way in got blocked by more roses.  After all, there was a good chance that this was a trap.

“Did I ever tell you how I love watching a plan form behind that face of yours, my Lady?” Chat Noir murmured warmly near her left ear.  She felt him tuck a lock of loose hair behind her ear tenderly with the tip of a claw.  A delightful little shiver shot straight up the back of her neck and made her scalp tingle, and she was seized with the sudden urge to turn to face him, seize him, and _kiss him absolutely senseless_.  By the skin of her teeth, she resisted, but she couldn’t stop a shivery sigh from escaping, and she very much doubted Chat Noir missed the shiver up her neck, or the flush bloom across her cheeks.  She took a deep breath and swallowed before responding:

“Well, the plan I was forming is gone, now; you’re distracting me,” she scolded, refusing to look at him as she stared at the edge of the school roof..

Chat Noir gasped very softly in delighted surprise.  “I’m _distracting!?_  Ah, how long has it been my dream to be able to distract my Lady!”

“There’s a time and a place for being distracting, and this isn’t it, _Cat_ ssanova,” she quipped back, as she retrieved her train of thought.  “Okay, I think I’ve got a plan.”  She finally turned to face him and leaned sideways to point at his staff, which was secured at the small off his back.  “You’re gonna take out your staff, extend it, and prop it up at a 45-degree angle pointing toward the school roof.  I’m going to balance on it and hold on while you extend it until I’m directly over the opening in the roof, and you need to make sure it doesn’t touch the roses.  When I’m in place, I’ll drop down through the roof and bring the end of the staff down with me.  You’re going to hold onto the other end of the staff, and so my acting as a counter-weight should turn your staff into a teeter-totter, and bring you up over the roof where you can drop in right after me.  You’ll probably be best off clinging to your staff with your arms and legs wrapped around it for when I bring you up.  You got all that?”

“Yup!  Brilliant!” he chirped.  “I’m not too thrilled about being yanked into the air, but I’ll just hang on for dear life just like you said!”

“Good boy!” she replied.  “Okay, let’s do this!”

Chat Noir took out his staff and extended it to about two meters long.  He grasped it firmly at the center and propped it on his shoulder, pointing it at the school building behind him.  Ladybug grabbed on with both hands and carefully climbed up the length of it, hunched over and balancing on her toes with her knees bent.  She felt rather like a mutant chameleon.

Chat Noir craned his neck to watch her climb his staff, beaming at her in a deceptively-innocent manner.

 _Careful where you ogle, tomcat!_ she couldn’t help but think.

Once she had climbed past his shoulder, she carefully straddled the staff and locked her legs around it, and then flattened herself against it.

“You can hang onto it like this, okay?” she said, glancing at him.

“Yeah, got it,” he confirmed, nodding.  “Just say when!”

“Okay, I’m ready.”

Chat Noir pressed the paw-print-shaped button on the staff, and Ladybug saw the edge of the school roof start to draw closer and closer as she was pushed towards it by the staff as it extended.  She looked down as she passed just over the surface of the roof and watched the opening in the roof draw near.  She felt the staff bend slightly under her weight, but trusted in its indestructibility and Chat Noir’s strength.

“Okay, stop!” she called over her shoulder.  The staff stopped extending with her right above the open roof.  “Get ready!  I’m dropping down!”  She loosened her grip and flipped sideways, letting her legs dangle down.  She dangled there for a second, and then the staff tipped over and slid, dropping her towards the gym floor as Chat Noir no doubt jumped onto his end of the staff and was launched upward by her counterweight.

“Whoa-oa-oa!!”  Chat Noir slid down the staff like a fire fighter on a firepole.  He touched down right next to her and then took the staff from her, returning it to its normal length and then holding it at the ready.  Ladybug scanned the gym and took in the sight of even _more_ black roses growing all around them right out of the concrete.  She pinched her nose shut again; the smell was _overwhelming_.  Chat Noir started coughing, and she saw his eyes were starting to water.

“GACK!  UGH, I can’t breathe!” he croaked.

Suddenly, Ladybug heard the sound of accelerating plant growth right above them.  Looking up, she saw the black roses growing to cover up the opening in the roof, blocking their exit.

“So it _was_ a trap,” she remarked.  “Good thing we made sure to come in together.”

“All thanks to your plan!” Chat Noir said hoarsely, beaming at her in spite of his obvious physical discomfort.  “I’d say you really _rose_ to the occasion!”

Ladybug groaned.  “I should’ve known...you got any more puns saved up that I should brace myself for?”

“Oh, I’m gonna have as much fun as possible with this one!” he responded with a wink.  “I wonder if Aimee will appreciate my wit and sense of humor?”

Before Ladybug could think of a comeback, she heard a vaguely-familiar voice call out to them.

“Finally!  Ladybug and Chat Noir!  You two sure took your time!”

The overgrown thicket of roses parted to reveal the akumatized Aimee:  Her long, wild auburn ponytail was unmistakable, and she was once again sporting fairy wings at her back.  Instead of a sunny dress, however, she was outfitted in a pitch-black leotard--form-fitted like her own supersuit--with a long tutu sparkling with deep blood-red glitter.  A single black rose adorned her ponytail like a barrette, and Ladybug was willing to bet that was where the akumatized was.

“Were you afraid to come and face me?” she asked, staring imperiously at them.  “Or…”  She paused, appearing distracted as though a thought had occurred to her.  She smiled slyly.  “Maybe you two got _distracted_ …”

Ladybug glanced at Chat Noir in mild bewilderment, and saw he looked as confused as she was.

“There’s...certainly a lot to do in Paris,” Ladybug remarked, “But we take our jobs as superheroes very seriously.   _Somebody’s_ got to keep Hawk Moth and his supervillains from endangering innocent people...say, from being smothered by giant thorny roses?”

“I’d say turning Paris into a noxious jungle makes your roses the most distracting thing in Paris,” Chat Noir tagged on, coughing again.  “Though not in a good way; why are they all black?  Where are all the red, white, yellow, or pink roses?  And you, Aimee, or whatever-you-call-yourself-now, what’s with the gothic getup?  Shouldn’t your cheeks be _rosy_ and your lips _red as a rose?_  I gotta say, I’m disappointed.”

“Talk trash all you want, but the fact is, you’ve fallen into my trap, and you’re never getting out until you surrender your miraculouses!  As for my name, it’s Black Rose Fairy!”  She fluttered into the air, and the roses sprang to life, growing at an alarming speed towards Ladybug and Chat Noir.  “And what I _meant_ was that you two might have gotten distracted by each other’s _company_ .  I hear things between you have really started to _heat up!_ Have you been bitten by the _love-bug, Ladybug?_ Have you been feeling _frisky,_ black kitty?”

Ladybug felt her face turn red faster than a traffic light, and she swore steam would start coming out of her ears and nose out of embarrassment _and_ anger.

“How do you--?!  When did you--?!  Wha--!?  You--!  YOU JUST MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!” she shrieked, bobbing and weaving under and around the attacking roses.   _Thank GOD she won’t remember any of this after we turn her back to normal,_ she thought, _But...HOW DOES SHE KNOW IN THE FIRST PLACE?_

“Oh, have you and Hawk Moth been _gossiping_ about us, now?!” Chat Noir demanded incredulously.  He used his staff to beat back a trio of attacking roses and then extended it to propel himself over them.  “Are you _envious_ of our love, _purr_ -haps?  Or is Hawk Moth feeling a case of sour grapes because _he_ hasn’t been able to get any _action_ lately because he’s been hiding out in his evil lair?”

Both Ladybug and Black Rose Fairy yelled, “EEEWWW!!”

Ladybug added, “Just because you’re probably right doesn’t mean you should _say it!_ ”  She stumbled slightly as she ran and dodged:  the concrete under her feet kept cracking and quaking from the rapid growth of the roses’ roots under the surface.  While she could use her yo-yo to tie up the growing plants, it wouldn’t be of much use if the roses could just keep growing, and Black Rose Fairy could just summon more, as many as she wanted.  There wasn’t a safe way to try to lasso Black Rose out of the air, either; she could fly out of the way easily, and that was without all the roses blocking Ladybug’s way.  How could they stop them from growing…?

Chat Noir called out, “Hey, B.R.F.!  I got a joke for ya!  What happened to the rose when another rose was added to it?”

“Don’t call me that!” Black Rose yelled back.

“The rose _rose_!”  Chat Noir snickered at his own joke, only to let out a startled yelp as a bunch of roses attacked him from above, where they were growing downward from the roof.  He leapt out of the way, separating his staff into two segments and throwing them at Black Rose like boomerangs.  She only narrowly avoided them, and Ladybug wished she could think of a way to put his distraction to good use…

“IIIIIIIIII’VE BEEEEEEEEN KISSED BY A ROOOOOSE…!”

_Oh, great, now he’s breaking into song??_

“Stop running around!!” Black Rose yelled, gesturing wildly as she tried to capture them.  “Why aren’t you falling under my spell?!”

“SHE LEFT ME ROSES BY THE STAAAAIIIIIRRRRS!!  A SURPRISE TO LET ME KNOW SHE CAAAAARRRES!!”

 _What?_   _Her spell?  What spell?_

Confused, Ladybug glanced in Chat Noir’s direction; she failed to catch his eye, as he was too busy dodging flowers.  Well, that and…

“I WANNA LAAAAAAAYYYY YOOOOOUUUU DOOOOWWWWN IN A BED OF ROOOOOOOSES!!” he was now singing.  Ladybug might have groaned again, except 1) This time, they were lyrics from one of Jagged Stone’s newest singles, and 2) It made Black Rose scream in frustration to have Chat Noir continue to taunt her.

“Are you saying your roses aren’t just for making Paris reek?” Ladybug asked.  “I’m sure they’re giving a lot of people breathing problems by now, but…”

“Why would I just want Paris to smell like roses?” Black Rose retorted, flushing angrily.  “I’m making everyone in Paris my servants, so that they can ridicule and humiliate and intimidate everyone who’s been tormenting _me_!”

 _Is that why Chat Noir and I have these horrible headaches?_ Ladybug wondered.   _Because the scent of the roses is supposed to brainwash us?  But then, why isn’t it working?  Is it just because we’re superheroes…?  That never seemed to protect us from spells before...poor Chat Noir knows that from experience…_

“And who would be better to lead the march than you and Chat Noir?” Black Rose continued.  “ _Especially_ you, Chat Noir...I _told_ them you had my back, but they didn’t believe me...but we’ll show them, won’t we?”

The roses pursuing Ladybug suddenly seemed to change course.  To her horror, they were _all_ now growing towards Chat Noir, even _faster_ than before!

“CHAT NOIR!”  Ladybug flung her yo-yo in a desperate attempt to capture even _some_ of the roses before they reached him, but there were just _too many!_  In a flash, Chat Noir was completely cocooned in thorny roses.  They wiggled and squirmed as he obviously struggled to get free, but then the smell of the roses intensified even more, making her feel slightly lightheaded.  Seconds later, the roses grew still.

“Oh no…” 

Resigned to the fact that she might have to defend against a hostile Chat Noir now, too, Ladybug decided it was now or never.

“Lucky Charm!!”

A red and black-spotted lawn rake appeared.  Ladybug mused that it might make a slightly better weapon against aggressive giant plants, but there were just _so many of them_ … How was she supposed to get close enough to Black Rose to snatch away her hair clip?

Before she could come up with a plan, she caught sight of Black Rose landing at the top of the stairs to the second floor of the school, where the net of roses was pulling itself apart to release Chat Noir.  He squatted cat-like beside her like a loyal pet, and Black Rose stroked the top of his head fondly, smiling victoriously.

“Now you’re _my_ kitty,” she said in a sickeningly-sweet tone.  “Now, take down Ladybug so we can take her Miraculous.  Once Hawk Moth gets what he wants, he’ll spare you for me, and then you can stay my kitty forever!”

“THAT’S _MY_ KITTY, YOU WITCH!!”

Ladybug’s sudden ejaculation seemed to shock Black Rose into silence, and both her and Chat Noir’s eyes bulged in shock.  Ladybug had taken _herself_ by surprise most of all; she was almost never one to lose her cool in a fight against a supervillain, even when Chat Noir was turned against her.  But the way Black Rose had been talking to him... _petting_ him…! 

It made her blood boil with rage.

Chat Noir was the first to move again:  he leapt down to face Ladybug and brandished his staff.

“Well, shall we get this over with...my Lady?” he asked smoothly. 

Ladybug blinked and squinted imperceptibly at him… She saw Black Rose flutter down to stand behind him to watch the action unfold.  She glanced down at the rake in her hands again, then looked up again at Chat Noir.  They stared each other down for a moment, and then…

It clicked.  Her eyes widened in comprehension.

 _It’s because we’re in heat!  We can’t be brainwashed!  He’s_ pretending!!   _He’s holding his staff at the ready to--!_

She smiled triumphantly.

“Bring it on!” she cried.

She charged at him, raising the rake above her head to strike.  Chat Noir backflipped away from her, his staff coming down on a line of roses and breaking their stems as they were pinned to the concrete.  At the exact moment his feet hit the ground at the end of his backflip, Ladybug used his back as a springboard and thrust the rake forward and below her, crushing the second line of roses blocking her way to Black Rose and allowing her to push off even higher into the air.  As she landed right behind Black Rose, ready to snatch the barrette from her ponytail, a third wave of roses burst from the concrete, surrounding her, but Ladybug didn’t even get the chance to worry…

“Cataclysm!”

Chat Noir slapped his open palm against the already-destroyed floor of the gym.  The fractured concrete crumbled, destabilizing and destroying the roses’ root system.  They crumpled to the ground, unable to support themselves.

“NO!!” Black Rose cried.

Ladybug neatly snatched the black rose from her ponytail and crushed the petals in her fist.  A black butterfly fluttered out of the ruined flower, instinctively trying to flee.

“No more evil-doing for you, you nasty bug!  Time to de-evilize!”

With a flick of her finger, Ladybug flipped open her yo-yo and gracefully flung it skyward, snatching the akuma out of the air almost effortlessly.

“Gotcha!”

Her earrings beeped their four-minute warning as she paused before opening her yo-yo again.  Would the butterfly be sparkling pink again, like last time?  Sure enough, when it emerged, it fluttered around her head trailing sparkling lights behind it, glowing ever-so-softly pink.

As it took off, heading wherever magic butterflies go, she picked up her rake and flung it into the air.

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

The swarm of magical ladybugs spread out to cover all of Paris that the roses had overgrown, no doubt freeing all of the people they had brainwashed from their spell _and_ from being trapped indoors.  The roses in the gym dissolved into nothing, and the concrete was made intact again.  Black Rose Fairy’s costume dissipated, leaving a dazed and confused Aimee in her place.

Ladybug turned to Chat Noir, and they exchanged their traditional fist-bump, beaming identical grins.

“Pound it!”

“Ladybug?  Chat Noir?”  Aimee was staring at them anxiously.  “What happened?  Where is everyone?  I...oh no…”  Her face fell, and she wrung her hands.  “I was akumatized again, wasn’t I?”   

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up, it wasn’t your fault,” Chat Noir said, gently walking over to her and squatting down next to her (ignoring the beeping of his ring).  “You didn’t ask Hawk Moth to turn you into a supervillain!  He targeted you and took advantage of your feelings...he’s the only bad guy here!”

Ladybug squatted down on Aimee’s other side and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Chat Noir’s right,” she said.  “Those girls are still bullying you, aren’t they?  You have every right to be upset for how cruel they’ve been to you!  It’s not wrong to feel negative emotions, Aimee.  We’re just sorry you had go through this again.”

“Well...I don’t remember anything that happened…” Aimee admitted.  “But I must have tried to do something bad, just like last time…”

“Hey, don’t worry!  Everything’s gone back to normal!” Ladybug said bracingly.  “Nobody got hurt, and Paris is safe!”

“I’m sorry the selfie you took of us didn’t make those girls leave you alone...” Chat Noir said, grimacing.  “I hope it didn’t make things worse somehow…”

Aimee squinted with the effort of thinking back to before she was akumatized.  “My memory’s kinda fuzzy, even of back then...I think when I told them about you, they laughed and didn’t believe me, and when I tried to show them the picture to prove it…”  She squeezed her lips together in a tight, trembling line, appearing to remember something upsetting.  “They said it didn’t mean anything...that you just felt sorry for me, and that you would never be interested in a boring girl like me…”

Chat Noir scowled in outrage; Ladybug was positive her face looked exactly the same.

“I just can’t understand how some people can be so nasty…” he said with a frustrated sigh.

“I wonder at that a lot, too,” Ladybug said with a grim nod.  “My best guess is, some people just have to put other people down to feel good about themselves...because they’re jealous, or they don’t like themselves deep down, I dunno…”

“Well, do _you_ think I did it just because I felt sorry for you?” Chat Noir asked Aimee.

Aimee looked up at him and shook her head meekly.

“And, I say there’s no such thing as a boring person!” he added brightly.  “ _You_ certainly aren’t boring!  I don’t know you very well, of course, but I know you really like Summer Fae, and I happen to enjoy that series, too!”  He gave her a friendly wink, and a bright grin.

“Really?” Aimee smiled shyly but brightly at him.  “You’re not just saying that?”

“Now, does _this_ look like the face of a liar?” Chat asked, gesturing to his still-grinning face with a finger.

Aimee laughed.  “No, it doesn’t!”

Ladybug smiled at the heart-warming scene; here was proof again that Chat Noir really did have quite the sweet side...actually, it reminded her of Adrien: so warm and kind, and happily helpful and supportive...she remembered when her great-uncle had come to Paris all the way from China last year to compete for the title of World’s Greatest Chef on a cooking show.  Not only had Adrien been happy to act as translator and have his bodyguard chauffeur them all to Le Grand Paris, but he had been quick to reassure Marinette when she expressed doubts that her great-uncle even liked her, or appreciated the bouquet she had given him.  And when Chloe had sabotaged her great-uncle’s soup just because Marinette had antagonized her (for being rude and nasty as usual), Adrien had been on her side 100%.  Ah, he had even put a comforting on her shoulder...so sweet…!

Her earrings beeped again, ending her train of thought and sending her into a very slight panic.  She wanted to help Aimee just as much as Chat Noir did, but they needed to make this quick...she still needed to have _that_ talk with Chat Noir…

Her stomach gave a nervous wiggle at the thought.

She cupped her chin thoughtfully, trying to think of how they might stop those girls from bullying Aimee anymore...or help Aimee better handle their bullying emotionally.  If these girls were anything like Chloe, a warning from Chat Noir and herself was unlikely to change the way they treated other people.  What Aimee needed was a boost in confidence, so that she could ignore the girls’ insults.  The problem was, there was no quick, simple way to increase someone’s confidence; she knew this from her own personal experiences with Chloe.

This gave her an idea...but she was a little hesitant to put it to use: it required her to share a tiny detail about her personal life.  It wasn’t something that could be used to find her secret identity, though...right…?

Chat Noir’s ring beeped again.  They had less than three minutes.  She couldn’t think of anything else they could do without getting themselves way too invested in Aimee’s life, so she decided to go with it.

“Listen, Aimee…Chat Noir and I need to be going, but let me give you some advice,” she said.  “There really isn’t any fool-proof way to make bullies stop bullying other people; the best thing to do is to work on raising your own confidence and just ignoring them.  It’s a lot easier said than done, I know, but _you’re_ the only person you have control over.  And I’ll tell you something…”

She glanced nervously in Chat Noir’s direction.  He wouldn’t get upset hearing her share a personal detail with someone else before him, would he?

“...there’s...a girl who’s been going to the same schools as I have for years, and for the longest time, _she’s_ been trying to make _my_ life miserable.  It took me...a _long_ time to build up the confidence to stand up to her, and you know what?  She _still_ says nasty things to me and everybody else, but it doesn’t matter so much anymore because I’ve taught myself to not care about anything she says.  Those girls say all those nasty things to you just to try to upset you; none of it is true, and how _could_ it be if they don’t even know you?”

Both Aimee and Chat Noir listened to her inspirational lecture with rapt attention.  In fact, they were wearing almost identical expressions of awe.  It made her blush a little.

“So...think you’ll be okay?”  Ladybug stood up and held out a hand to Aimee.  “It’s okay to be upset, or mad, or disgusted...and it’s okay to cry if you need to.  Just don’t let them make you feel down on yourself.”

Aimee smiled tremulously at her and took her hand, letting her pull her to her feet.  Chat Noir stood up as well.  Ladybug noticed that he was glancing between her and Aimee with an uncharacteristically distant expression, like he was lost in thought.

“Thank you, Ladybug...Chat Noir…” Aimee said.  “I’m gonna try really hard to not let them get to me so much anymore...I think it’ll be easier, now, because you’ve been so supportive of me.”

“I’m glad!  Now let’s get you back to solid ground!”

By the time Aimee had been sent on her way home (she assured them it wasn’t a long walk), both Ladybug and Chat Noir had less than two minutes left.

“We gotta split and feed our kwamis!” Ladybug exclaimed, starting to panic.  “I’ll meet you...on the Arc de Triomphe, okay?!”

“Okay-see-you-soon!”  Chat Noir replied hurriedly in one breath.  He scampered away in the opposite direction as she headed straight for the the old familiar sanctuary of the girls’ bathroom.

Her transformation dissolved just as she flung herself through the door.  No one else was in there, _thank god_ , but still...she couldn’t just count on being lucky when it came to protecting her identity.

Tikki was quick to remind of this, of course.

“That was _way_ too close!” she squeaked softly, sitting up in Marinette's cupped hands and looking tired and frazzled.  “Marinette, if anyone had been _in_ here…!”

“I know, I’m sorry!” Marinette whined, wincing.  “Oh, I hope Chat Noir got to a safe hiding place in time!”

“You can make sure he’s okay as soon as I’ve gotten my strength back,” Tikki said, trying to sound reassuring as Marinette deposited the little kwami into her purse.  “I’ll try to eat this cookie quickly!”

~

Adrien sat hunched up and curled into a ball with his arms around his knees as Plagg savored his cheese with what seemed to Adrien to be as much noise as possible.  He silently vowed to never hide behind a dumpster again except as a last resort: Even with the lid down, the odor of rotten food and various other disgusting substances still managed to waft its way to Adrien’s nose, and the stench of Camembert right next to next to him made it three times worse.  Had he always had such a sensitive nose, or was his heat giving him an enhanced sense of smell as Adrien as well as Chat Noir?

 

“Do I have the feline sense of smell as Adrien as well as Chat Noir?” Adrien asked aloud, addressing Plagg.  “Or is this just a _really_ smelly dumpster?”

“You’ve kinda always had a better-than-average sense of smell,” Plagg replied with his mouth full.  “Nobody _else_ seems to notice you smelling like Camembert.”

“That’s because most people are too polite to tell me I stink to my face, probably,” Adrien grumbled.

“Well, even with just your human sense of smell, certain scents will stick out to you more,” Plagg continued, ignoring Adrien’s complaining.  “As Chat Noir, you smell everything better than you used to, but a _certain few_ smells a _lot_ better than usual.  As Adrien, you’ll smell everything the same as you always have, but if you smell those _certain smells_ , your heat-and hormone-addled brain will still go, ‘Woot!  Ladybug Alert!’”

Adrien instantly honed in on Plagg’s emphasis on the phrase “certain smells,” which set off the alarm bells in his head.

“And, by ‘certain smells,’ you’re referring to…?” he asked tensely.

Plagg swallowed the last of his cheese before replying, which filled Adrien with a now-very-familiar sense of dread.

“Basically any and all scents that Ladybug gives off,” Plagg finally said offhandedly.  “But _particularly_ skin, sweat, and arousal.”

“Uh...arousal has a smell?” Adrien asked curiously but nervously, his eyes bugging out.

Plagg leered at him sideways and _smiled_...it was an expression that filled Adrien with terror.

“Well, of course…” he crooned slyly.  “As a female, she gets _wet_ when she’s aroused, and _that_ has a smell, doesn’t it?”

Adrien instantly turned cherry-red and emitted a low whine, hiding his face in his arms.  Plagg snickered.

“Why do you do this to me?” Adrien groaned.  “That doesn’t make this any easier for me to endure, and I _thought_ you trying to _help_ me...so that I _don’t_ have to suffer so much!”

“Sexual fantasies are completely harmless,” Plagg replied carelessly.  “And it’s not like you won’t have _plenty_ of them without me giving you food for thought.”

“Exactly!” Adrien explained indignantly.  “I don’t need you pushing me down the gutter when I can slide down all by myself!”

“Hey, _you_ asked about your sense of smell, I just answered your questions,” Plagg replied with a pompous sniff.  “This way, when the smell of Ladybug’s arousal hits your nose like a stormwind, you won’t be caught totally off-guard.”

Adrien had no comeback to this, and in any case, he was preoccupied with kink-shaming himself for trying to imagine this scent that, with no previous sexual experience, he had never been acquainted with.  After giving himself a mental slap on both cheeks, he looked up at Plagg again.

“Well...you’re finished eating, right?  It’s time to transform again, so I can meet Ladybug.”

“Okay, have fun!” Plagg replied, smirking.

“Ugh!  Plagg, Transform Me!”

He squeezed himself out from behind the dumpster and used his staff to propel himself towards the roof.  He set off at a brisk pace, leaping gracefully from roof to roof, occasionally running on all fours where there were longer stretches of flat rooftop.  He hoped Ladybug hadn’t run into any trouble while looking for a place to transform; they had both cut it pretty close.

The Arc de Triumphe, situated as it was in the intersection of five big streets, seemed to him like not the best place to meet away from prying eyes.  He suspected it was simply the first landmark that popped into her head, and he chuckled at the thought of the always-cool-and-collected Ladybug mentally floundering.  It never failed to thrill him just a little bit every time he saw a new side of her personality, no matter how insignificant.

Like the fact Ladybug had a bully in her life, and had for many years…it was difficult to imagine Ladybug having a hard time dealing with a bully _ever_ , since she always seemed so confident and self-assured to him...until he remembered the day he had met her, when she had blamed herself for allowing Stoneheart and his army of stone men to run amok because she had failed to capture his akuma the first time.  She had been so discouraged...until he had reassured her, reminding her that she had saved Chloé’s life, and that they were the only ones who could save Paris. Then, Hawk Moth had announced himself, and demanded the surrender of their Miraculouses...and Ladybug and strode right up to him and thrown his threats in his face.  In that moment, she had been nothing short of _glorious_ , and she had stolen his heart without even trying.

 _Does she have any idea of how beautiful and incredible she is to me?_ he wondered, smiling to himself wistfully.   _Are there even words good enough to express that to her?  Ah, I doubt it!_

As he approached the Arc de Triumphe, he could see Ladybug was waiting for him from the tiny red figure standing on top of it.  As he started scaling the side of it, his heart started pounding in anticipation. When he reached the top, he was met with the sight of her face closer than he expected as she bent over at the waist to catch his gaze.

“Hey, Chat Noir,” she greeted, sounding unusually shy.  “Um, I realized as I was heading over here that this actually isn’t a very good place to have a private conversation, so…”

“I was thinking the same thing!” he said good-humoredly.  “You wanna lead the way to a better spot?”

“Sure!”  She stood and threw her yo-yo, and then swung down and over the streets and cars converging around the great monument.  Chat Noir took out his staff again, and followed.

One of the most convenient things about the architecture of Paris was that all the traditional-styled roofs had multiple levels and a lot of features sticking up that provided plenty of places to hide from people like Alya who might try to follow and spy on them.  The spot Ladybug lead them to was one of many Chat Noir was also familiar with, and the feeling of increased privacy was comforting, but it also make his heart go pitter-patter, knowing that they could do almost anything they wanted to here without anyone knowing...as long as they weren’t too _loud_ …

 _Baaaaaaad train of thought.  Don’t go there!_ he thought.

Luckily, Ladybug distracted him as she leaned her back against a jutting section of roof.  He immediately took notice of her fidgeting posture, downturned gaze, and stiff shoulders. He stood across from her and adopted a similar pose in an attempt to look relaxed.  When she finally looked up at him , they opened their mouths at the same time.

“SO…!”

They both cut themselves off and glanced away with nervous chuckles.

“Uh, sorry!  Go ahead!” Ladybug urged him.

“No, no, you first!” he urged back.

“No, it’s fine!  What’s up?” she said, grinning.

Chat Noir laughed.  They both sounded ridiculous…!

“No, I insist,” he said, gesturing her way.  “Hearing what you have to say first will help me figure out how I want to say my part,” he added.

“Oh.  Well, in that case…”

She smiled bashfully and fidgeted.  She was acting so nervous, he wondered briefly if he should be worried...but, somehow, he was getting the feeling from her demeanor that whatever she had to tell him wasn’t bad news...just something she was feeling awkward about, for whatever reason.

 _Oh wait, I know!_ he thought.   _It’s because of that thing Plagg told me about, where we would get really good at reading each other!  I bet that’s also why the fight with Black Rose Fairy went so well! I wonder if Ladybug’s kwami has told her about that yet…_

Ladybug finally spoke, which broke his train of thought and caught his attention.

“So…” she began, shifting her weight from foot to foot and tracing the ground with her toe.  “I, uh...I’ve been thinking…”

He could see she was trying to smile, and this further reassured him that whatever she was trying to tell him wasn’t going to anything he needed to worry about, when her ambiguous phrasing and hesitation might suggest otherwise.  He smiled back at her reassuringly and gave her a patient nod of encouragement.

“About...uh…”  She seemed to pause to search for the right words, then sighed and... _blushed_ ?  Now he was _really_ curious...

“I’ve been thinking about _you_ a lot lately!” she finally half-yelled at him.  “And...! And…! Because I...really liked kissing you, and...I realized I didn’t want things to just end there.  I knew...I was going to want to kiss you again, and...maybe more...and yes, I considered the possibility that this was mostly just the mating cycle drawing me to you, but…”

She paused, glancing nervously and bashfully all over the place as she considered what to say next.  The break didn’t do much for Chat Noir: he felt like his head was spinning from the sudden onslaught of information...information that was also making his heart bounce off the walls of his chest like a cat on catnip at three in the morning.  Oh, and he was blushing, too.

“But...the truth is...I think I...started feeling new things for you a little while _before_ we both went into heat, and...if it really was just the mating cycle making me...you know, think about you and things and whatever…”

 _No, please, feel free to list what those “things” were that you thought about me…_ he thought distantly, still staring starstruck at her.

“...then I would just be...um, you know...thinking with my head in the gutter all the time, and _wanting_ things…”

 _Oh, really?  What “things” might_ those _be, my Lady?  Perhaps I can be of service…?_

“But that _isn’t_ all I think about.”  She finally managed to look at him and hold his gaze.  “I think about you, and I...wonder about things about you, like…”  She lost her nerve and dropped her gaze again shyly. “Like, what you’re like in school: are you the class clown who just tries to get everybody to laugh?  Do you spend class time passing notes between your buddies, or goofing off on your phone or doodling on paper? Or do you actually pay attention and take notes and study?  I wonder if you’re in any extracurricular activities, and what you do for fun in your spare time...I wonder what you like to wear day-to-day, what your favorite color is, what you--”

She cut herself off as she no-doubt noticed his current expression.  He realized belatedly that he was starting to feel a lump forming in his throat and quite possibly tears starting to form in his eyes.

 _She actually wants to know me better…_ he thought, his heart now swelling with affection for her.   _She’s always made it so hard to tell whether she wanted to keep our partnership strictly professional, or if she just felt like we_ had _to in order to protect our identities...does this mean she actually wishes we could tell each other who we are?_

“...Chat Noir?”

Ladybug stepped closer to him, staring up at him with some concern, but mostly wonder.  She was close enough for him to catch a hint of her scent on the air...delicate, warm, sweet, and many other things that he didn’t have words for.

_I love this girl so much…_

He glanced down and hesitantly took her hands in his.  She didn’t take them away, and he gave them a gentle squeeze.

“I...never knew whether or not you ever thought of me as _anything_ other than your partner,” he said softly.  “Now I’m hearing my Lady might actually want to get to know me more, as a friend...or something more?”

He hoped he didn’t sound presumptuous with that afterthought.  Ladybug didn’t react as if he did, at least...

Instead, she lurched forward and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.  Chat Noir froze in surprise. What was even happening?

“Yes...” she said softly, squeezing him.   “Something more! Don’t ask me what to call it, because I don’t know, I just…!  I just know that, last week, I was terrified of how the mating cycle might affect me, but now...I’m not afraid of it anymore.  I want...I want to see where this goes.”

Chat Noir felt like he had been struck by lightning.  He blinked, then looked down at the top of Ladybug’s head.  Her scent wafted all around him, and he impulsively buried his nose in her hair and just breathed her in, wrapping his arms around her to complete their embrace.

“You’re saying…” he murmured into her hair, “You...feel something...more than friendship...for me?”

There was a pause, as she seemed to take her time absorbing his question and trying to figure out her feelings.  Then, he felt a shiver go up her spine and heard her let out a breath of air. She smooshed her face into his sternum and squeezed him even tighter.   _Then_ , he thought he heard her _sniffle_ , and he almost panicked.  

“Yes…” she whispered.  “I…” She _did_ sound close to tears!  What was _happening?!_  “I...I think I’m falling in love with you, you silly cat.”

All of the air in his lungs was knocked right out of him by her words, and--again--he felt the tears coming on again.  He squeezed his eyes shut against them as his face was split into a watery smile, and he nuzzled his nose and lips into her hair.

 _Am I dreaming?_ he wondered.   _Or is this really happening right now?  Oh, god, if this is a dream, PLEASE don’t wake up yet!  And if this is real…!_

He felt his purr start up.

“Y-y-you do?  I-I mean, y-you are?” he croaked.

She giggled, and the sound made his heart do a happy wiggle. Then, she looked up at him, dislodging his face from her hair.  He could see her eyes shimmering with emotion, and her smile was _blinding_.  She reached up and affectionately scratched him behind the ears (his real ears, not the cat ears).  This sent delightful little shivers all across his scalp and down his spine, and before he knew it, he found himself trying to nuzzle against her hand.  She kept her fingers buried in his hair, and so he took her hand in his and pressed a kiss against her palm. He heard a tiny, soft gasp; opening his eyes, he saw her gazing up at him in wonder.  He smiled at her.

“You make this cat the happiest in Paris, my Lady,” he said warmly, his voice slightly distorted by purring.  She smiled back.

“You...you make me happy, too, _mon minou_ ,” she said, blushing.  She dropped her gaze bashfully for a moment, then seemed to suddenly remember something, and looked up at him again.

“Oh!  I forgot!  You had something you wanted to talk about, too, right?”

“Oh, yeah…”  he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and cleared his throat against the purr-induced tickle there.  He let her take her hand back. “So...I was actually going to ask you...what kind of approach you wanted to take with the mating cycle, but you’ve kind of answered the question already...at least, part of it.”

Ladybug thought for a moment, then pouted.

“Well...obviously spending more time together than we need to still isn’t the _best_ idea, since that’ll make us get worse more quickly, but...well, we’ve seen how good at that we’ve been so far!  I don’t think I can...suddenly whip myself back into good behavior, and I...don’t really want you to feel like _you_ have to either…”

“Why, _Buginette_ …!” he said, grinning at her and raising his eyebrows.  “Are you saying you want to be able to _mess around_ a little bit?”

Ladybug’s face turned the same color as her suit.

“Wha--!  You--!” She looked away and puffed out her cheeks in the most adorable pout he had ever seen.

“...that’s not the phrasing I would use, but...you’re not _wrong_ , I guess…”

“Whoo!” he crowed.  He leaned forward and grinned at her and gave her the wiggle-waggle eyebrow dance.  “I must say, I’m _veeeeeeery_ much looking forward to getting acquainted with this side of you, _Buginette_.”

Her shoulders rose up on either side of her head, but she held his gaze.

“Well, I’m...interested to see how you handle it~!”  She smiled innocently.

_Oh my god, I’m still falling...this, right here, is the woman of my dreams, without a doubt._

“But for now…” she turned slightly more serious.  “Let’s just play it by ear, since we’ll only see each other when a supervillain appears, anyway.  We still won’t go on any patrols, to make sure we don’t run into each other, and no unnecessary calls on our gadgets.  Otherwise…” She trailed off suggestively.

“How about I just follow your lead, and you take things wherever you want, okay?” he suggested, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.  “And if at any point you want me to be the more responsible of the two of us, I’ll make sure you don’t get us carried away where you don’t us to.”

“Can you do that, though?” she wondered aloud, shifting side-to-side uncertainly.  “It’s not that I don’t trust you, I just...well, if it got bad enough, maybe no amount of self-control will be enough...I _hope_ that’s not the case, but…”

“If it’s for you, for us, I can do anything,” he said, putting a hand over his heart.  “And hey, it won’t just be me: we’ll support each other, and play it by ear like you said.”

After a moment, she smiled and nodded.

“Okay...” she said softly.  “One day at a time...”

She glanced down at the ground and started fidgeting again...was there something else she wanted to say?

“We should...probably go our separate ways right about now…” she hedged.  “But…”

“But…?” he echoed hopefully before he could stop himself.

She pressed her lips together for a moment and looked up at him again.  Then, she took a half-step closer to him and very delicately took hold of his arms just above the elbows.  His heart instantly starting beating triple-time, and a soft gasp escaped him.

“Before I go...may I...kiss you again?”

He shivered at the sound of her murmur, and his heart seemed to slam itself against the front wall of his rib cage.  So many variations of “hell yes” popped up for consideration in his mind that he failed to settle on any of them. Instead, he put his arms around her and gently pulled her close without a word, leaning forward just enough to bring his face down to her level.  

He was not prepared for the enthusiasm of Ladybug’s response, which was to stand on tiptoe and fling her arms around his neck as she pressed her lips _hungrily_ against his.  He wrapped his arms around her waist and scooped her up against him so he could feel the soft warmth of her body pressed flush against his.  She hummed in pleasure, and then as their lips softly detached from each other, twin gasps of air escaped them, and he felt her warm breath against his open lips before Ladybug was kissing him _again_ ...and _again!_  He kissed her back insistently _, desperately_ ...he just couldn’t get enough of her!  And from the way she tilted her head up to meet him _so eagerly_ every time, hugging herself tightly against him and panting in-between kisses, he knew she couldn’t get enough of him.  He was floating on clouds and sinking into the ocean at the same time, his brain gone foggy and his heart fluttering like a bird.  Kissing came so _effortlessly_ now, no longer shy and awkward but certain and passionate, like a dance between them.  Determined to not be the first one to pull back for air, he struggled to keep breathing through his nose; the sweet fragrance of her skin flooded his nose, and he _longed_ to bury his face into every dip, nook, and valley of her body to _fill_ his lungs with her, and then rub and nuzzle every hill and curve of her, lapping at her skin with his tongue, until she smelled like _him,_ like _his_ …!

The volume of his purr had just about doubled, and he could feel the vibration of it in his lips and tongue (which meant that _Ladybug_ could almost certainly feel it as they kissed).  He suddenly nosed his way under her chin and started nuzzling her neck, tracing his nose in aimless little swirls under her jawline and sprinkling teeny-tiny kisses all over.  He felt her bury her fingers in his hair, and her breathing came in shallow, uneven little gasps. She made a little sound that was like a cross between a hum of pleasure and a giggle of delight...it made his heart _sing_ to hear her relish his feline displays of affection, and he sighed dreamily before stealing a taste of her skin where it was exposed just above the neck of her suit...oh, god, if desire had a taste, it was _this!_  He let out a low whine...Ugh, he _WANTED!!_  He opened his mouth wider and dragged his teeth against her skin, almost panting against her neck at this point.  When she gasped in surprise, however, it was loud and sudden enough to snap him out of his trance, and he jerked his head back like he had been stung on the nose by a bee.

She stared wide-eyed at him as he blinked rapidly and struggled to catch his breath.  He gave his head a little shake in an attempt to clear it, but his nose was still filled with the smell of _her_ …

“S-sorry, I--!  I--uh--!” He swallowed heavily.  “I...guess, uh...the tomcat in me got carried away…”

Ladybug blinked and seemed to come out of a daze of her own.

“Oh!  Uh, don’t worry, it’s okay!”  She smiled bashfully, blushing pinker than a watermelon.  “You didn’t hurt me or...make me feel uncomfortable, or anything.”  She inclined her head to stare him in the eyes mischievously. “I’m guessing that was the love-biting you were talking about that one time…?”

 _Somehow_ , he felt his face heat up even _more_ , and his eyes bugged out.  Then he slapped a palm to his face.

“Oh my god…!” he groaned.  “I didn’t even…! Ugh, I’m a devolving mess…”

Ladybug giggled, and he took his hand away from his face to look at her in surprise.

“Really, I don’t mind!” she said, grinning.  “I mean…” She glanced around shyly. “It would defeat the purpose if your feline tendencies scared me off, right?  They’re part of the mating cycle because they’re supposed to help you...win me over, right?”

“I...guess you’ve got a point…” he said, mulling it over.  “Wait…” He fixed her with what he hoped was a seductively mischievous gaze and grinned.  “Are you saying it’s working?”

“Uhhhhhhh…!”  Her hot-pink blush and deer-in-the-headlights expression said it all, and so, of course, all he could do was beam at her with unrestrained glee.  

“Awww, you _do_ have a soft spot for kitty-cats!” he gushed, squishing her cheeks between his hands.  “All this time, I just had to give in to my instincts!”

“Oh noooo, you’ve discovered my secret fetish for cat-boys,” she drawled.  “Whatever shall I doooo?”

“I mean, if I got what’chu want, and you want what I got…”

“Ooh, careful with your choice of words, _chaton_!” she teased, booping his nose with a finger.  He let go of her face and chuckled.

“If I’m being honestly serious, though,” she added, “I should...probably get going…”  She took a step back away from him with obvious reluctance. “Before we lose track of time again…”

“Afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands off me?” he teased.

 

“Afraid _we_ won’t be able to keep our hands off _each other_ …” she corrected softly, fixing him in what he _swore_ was the closest thing to _bedroom eyes_ he had ever seen on _any_ human in person.

 _Yeah,_ THAT _’LL help me keep my hands off you, definitely!!_ he thought sarcastically, hoping that his still-lingering arousal wasn’t... _ahem_ , PROMINENTLY visible.

“Uh, yeah!  You’re right, of course!” he managed to say, smiling sheepishly.  “I guess I’ll...see you around?”

Ladybug chuckled, turning to leave.  “Yeah...s-see you around!” she said softly.

“Oh, wait!  Before you go, one more thing…”

Ladybug paused, looking at him curiously and turning to face him again.

“Just to...satisfy your earlier curiosity a little bit…”  He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and then folded his hands behind his head in an attempt to look at-ease, but when he spoke, the soft warmth in his voice was somewhat at odds with his casual posture.

“My...favorite color is blue.  I really like playing video games and watching anime online, and I’m...actually a very diligent student, though I have been known to pass notes and have whispered exchanges with my...friend who sits next to me.  I apologize if I’ve ruined any bad-boy fantasies you may have had of me!” he added jokingly.

Ladybug giggled.

“You’ve done a lot of punning and posing and showing off over the year that I’ve known you, but I _never_ got the impression that you were a bad-boy!  And it’s a good thing you never tried that particular approach, because bad boys are _not_ my type!”

“I didn’t think they were, but it’s great to hear!” he replied with laugh.

She gazed at him in silent wonder for a moment, taking in the little jewels of information he had just gifted her and smiling, every bit as happy as he hoped she would be to learn just a little bit more about him.

“Thanks, Chat Noir…” she said.  She took a deep breath…

“...My favorite color is pink,” she said.  “I always _try_ to do my best in school, so I’m a pretty good student, but I shine best when I get to use my creativity...I’m really into arts and crafts, I guess you could say...and I really like video games, too.”

She turned around and took out her yo-yo.

“S-see you soon!”

And off she went.

Chat Noir held a hand to his chest.

 _This girl’s gonna be the death of me…_ he thought dreamily, a gooey smile spreading across his face.   _Either by kissing the breath out of me, or because she’s_ drop-dead gorgeous! _Heh, I crack myself up…”_

He took out his stick and turned and set off for home.

 _Oh, man, I hope nobody at home missed me!_ he thought, finally realizing he really had no idea how long he had been out here with Ladybug.  He stopped to check the time on his stick. _Okay, I should make it back in time for dinner with plenty of time to spare_.

~

After climbing through his bedroom window (well, the one of many windows in a row that he prefered to use to come in and out of) and shedding his magical catsuit, he quickly checked his room phone and cell phone for any messages.  He saw Nathalie had tried calling him three times and left him a text, demanding that he let her know where he was so that she knew he was safe and where to pick him up. He felt bad for her; he couldn’t tell her that he kept running off to turn into a superhero, and so it almost definitely worried her sick every time.  And then, even when he turned up fine afterward every time, she and the Gorilla would suffer his father’s wrath at least as much as he did, when it wasn’t their fault at all.

Nino had blown up his phone with two voice mails and several texts asking if he was okay after the black rose overgrowth.  He shot Nino a reply saying he was fine, and that he was late replying because Nathalie and his father had gotten all over his case for going missing in all of the chaos.  It was close enough to the truth if the chronology of events was ignored, because he was willing to bet that Nathalie _would_ be lecturing him big time the next time he saw her.  Actually, how long _had_ it been since he had gone AWOL?  It had been maybe a quarter after noon when the black roses had ensnared the car during his ride home, and it was about half-past-two now, so...two hours and fifteen minutes?  Yikes, he was gonna be in trouble.

Well, at least his troublesome boner was finally gone.

~

Marinette was hyper-conscious of the lingering wetness of her arousal all the way home.  She hoped she wouldn’t leave a damp spot in her suit, because then, would it stick to Tikki?!  Tikki probably wouldn’t hold it against her, but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing.

When she finally released her transformation, however, Tikki made no comment about it, and so Marinette inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.  Tikki _did_ , however, get right up in Marinette’s to take a good look at her still-blushing face.

“Oh, my…” she tittered.  “You and Chat Noir went at it again, didn’t you?  Did you tell him what you wanted to say?”

Marinette smiled shyly and scratched her cheek with a finger..

“Uh, yeah!  I did.” She flopped backward onto her back and yanked her pillow from overhead to hug over her chest.  “And…it made him _really_ happy... _so_ happy, it was so sweet.  He wanted to ask me about how I wanted to handle the mating cycle, too, so he decided he was going to take cues from me, but that I could ask him to help me resist temptation if I wanted to anytime...and, yeah, we...obviously got caught up in...making out for a while.”  She crossed her legs and squeezed her thighs together against the throbbing of arousal, her memory flashing back to passionate embrace...she squirmed restlessly, and briefly wondered how long it had been since she _hadn’t_ been blushing; it was starting to feel like a chronic condition.  

She hadn’t intended to confess to Chat Noir that she was in love with him; she hadn’t _known_ that!  Until he had wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled his nose and lips into her hair and…!

_“You...feel something...more than friendship...for me?”_

His soft murmur had been filled with wonder and _hope_...and somehow, hearing just how much he longed for her heart in exchange for his suddenly made her own feelings crystal-clear.  

_Yes!  I love you!!_

It had sprung to her mind instantly, unbidden, and the truth of it had left her breathless, brought tears to her eyes!  She took a leap of faith and let him hear those words that he had been longing to hear for so long...

_“Y-y-you do?  I-I mean, y-you are?”_

The tremble in his voice told her she had given him the greatest gift he had ever wished for, and the emotion in his eyes warmed her heart like nothing ever had before.  When she had scratched him behind the ears, he had instantly nuzzled against her hand with the enthusiasm of a cat for his beloved mistress, and then he had taken her hand and kissed it like a knight swearing fealty to his lady, taking her breath away.  

It made her  wonder again why it had taken her so long to realize how loving he was.

 _I can’t believe I used to try so hard not to humor him too much…_ she thought.   _I wanted to make sure I didn’t overinflate his ego....but he just_ melts _under the smallest doses of affection!  It’s so adorable and makes me feel almost giddy!  It’s kind of addicting to spoil Chat Noir, as if he were a real cat...I wonder if he feels something similar when he can tell I like how he kisses me…?_

She hadn’t forgotten her earlier desire to read the entry in her diary about Chat Noir’s confession, but now she had _much_ more potent fodder for her sexual fantasies...and she couldn’t stand to wait any longer for sweet release.

“I...I gotta rub one out, Tikki…” she whined.  “Gimme twenty minutes?”

“Oh, take as much time as you need, Marinette,” Tikki said sweetly before zooming out of sight.  “I can’t help keep your parents from accidentally interrupting you, though.”

“Oh, crap, my parents!” she groaned.  “They don’t know why I never came home for lunch!”  She dug her phone out of her purse and called her home phone number.

“Hi, Mom!” she squeaked nervously when her mother picked up.  “Sorry I didn’t call you sooner, it was just so crazy out here with the roses everywhere, but I’m fine, I just went back inside the school building and waited with everyone else until they all disappeared!  Classes are dismissed for the rest of the day, so I’ll be home soon, okay? Bye!”

Marinette hung up before her mother could get in a word edgewise, and put her phone aside.  

She quickly unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans and shoved them along with her panties as far down her legs as she could before impatiently kicking them off.  She let out a shaky breath as she spread her legs, exposing her damp sex to the open air. Forgoing any sort of preliminary teasing, she dipped two fingers into her folds and swirled them lazily around to lubricate her fingertips.  Then she brought them straight to her clit, using two fingers on her other hand to lift her clitoral hood as she started tracing gentle circles.

Forcing herself to keep the volume of her voice confined to breathing and gasping only (while she could, at least), she retrieved the deliciously vivid memories of being intertwined with Chat Noir and pouring every ounce of her desire into kissing him, as he pulled her flush against him and kissed her back like...like…

Well, like her loved her...truly, deeply, _madly_ loved her.

It had felt like her body was glowing with heat and humming with electricity at the same time, as her heart pounded frantically in her chest and her core throbbed with arousal.  She had tried as hard as her love-drunk brain allowed her to keep quiet, but it had been _so hard_ not to _moan_ with pleasure and _whine_ with need, especially when he had started love-biting her almost exactly like she had fantasized about him doing!  His claws had sent delicious shivers up her spine as he restlessly clawed at her, purring like a motor boat the whole time.  Ah, it was _addicting_ , the thrilling _rush_ she felt to have him so willingly vulnerable to her and so eager to shower her in his affection.  Who _didn’t_ dream about having a lover so sincere and so devoted to his partner?

A _lover…_

 _Oh, god, he would_ worship _me, wouldn’t he?_ she thought.  She was panting rapidly, swirling her fingers as fast as she could over her clit as her hips subtly rocked back and forth as she neared climax.   _Even though he’s probably no more sexually experienced than I am...if we actually had sex…!_

It was so easy to imagine Chat Noir’s body pressed against hers, because it had just happened!  And it was so easy to imagine him panting next to her ear, because he already _had!_  She just had to add the imagined sensation of his skin sliding against hers, his hips thrusting against hers, his…!

She stifled a whine as she came, her inner muscles spasming as she continued to rub feverish circles against her clit.  She refused to let up, forcing her body to continue flooding her with aftershocks. She squirmed and whimpered as she milked herself for every ounce of ecstasy she could, not caring that she tended to squirt slightly whenever she did this.  She didn’t stop even when she felt the tiny squirt of warm juice hit her hand, not until her legs were shaking and she wasn’t willing to risk getting any louder.

She struggled to catch her breath, feeling _much_ better physically, but emotionally, she was feeling a little greedy:  she wanted to keep exploring this daring new fantasy, and she wanted to keep masturbating while she did...this seemed like the perfect occasion for a g-spot orgasm to her, but she had to able to give herself one successfully.

 

She knew, of course, that every woman was different, and not all g-spot orgasms were created equal, but...it just didn’t seem _fair_ that she might not be able to experience them, period!  Everything she had read about them made them sound so amazing!  But on the occasions she had tried, it had just felt...strange, like she needed to pee, and it was too uncomfortable to insert more than just one finger in there.  But if that was all that she could manage, how the hell was she supposed to enjoy sex?!

Maybe now that she had already come, and quite hard, too, she would be relaxed and wet enough to manage one?  It certainly didn’t hurt to try…

She carefully pushed her middle finger inside herself, and felt around for that rough spot on the upper wall of her core.  When she was _pretty_ sure she had found it, she started crooking her finger and rubbing it in the come-hither motion that every source she had consulted had recommended.  She did her best to ignore the feeling of her bladder being stimulated...maybe it would go away if she just kept going? Or she would get used to it?

_Whether it’s with Adrien OR Chat Noir, I wanna be able to make this WORK before my first time, dammit!  Is that really too much to ask?!_

It _did_ start to feel less weird after several seconds, but it wasn’t exactly setting off fireworks inside her, either.  She tried to imagine it was Chat Noir’s finger instead of her own, and the image sent a rush of heat through her, but it didn’t seem to change how the sensation felt.

 _How is a thrusting_ cock _supposed to feel amazing when I can’t make_ myself _feel amazing with_ my own finger _?!_  she lamented dramatically.   _Does it_ really _all just come down to clitoral stimulation?_  She remembered learning from Sex Ed. that very few women were able to orgasm during intercoarse without it, but…!  But that was just because it took practice, right?! If it wasn’t possible to have a g-spot orgasm that way, then what was all the fuss with dildos about?!

Marinette wasn’t comfortable using a household object as a substitute-dildo, even if it was hers, so she carefully added her other finger and started slowly and gently pumping her fingers in and out as she stroked.  Using two fingers felt odd, but not uncomfortable, so she kept at it, rubbing a little more firmly…

_Ooh, THAT’S better…_

It felt...different, but good.  While stroking her clit sent what felt like sparks emanating from where her fingers touched, this felt more like throbs of heat and pressure.  She could _keenly_ feel her face and neck flushing, and it was like her blood was getting warmer, and thicker as it pumped through her veins…

It felt _really good,_ now...she found herself unable to completely stifle her soft grunts and moans as she started rocking her hips back and forth again with need and anticipation.  Her inner walls were spasming slightly around her finger, now, and she could feel the muscles in her legs twitching just a tiny bit. She didn’t know what to expect out of the orgasm she hoped to get from this, but she was excited.  She held her left hand over her nose and mouth to help muffle herself as she rose higher and higher, and wound tighter and tighter...her heart was throbbing so hard, it felt like it might pop…!

It was a little difficult to pinpoint the exact moment she came, because her core had already been spastically and erratically squeezing her finger, but it was a surge of much _more_ of it all:  her inner walls squeezed and kept squeezing, her thighs quivered, and her toes curled as a wave of hot ecstasy rushed through her.  She emitted a kind of muffled squeal into the hand she held over her mouth as she felt warm liquid leak out over the fingers of her right hind that she still held inside herself.

When she was sure she wasn’t going to make any more noise, she took her hand away from her face and started trying to catch her breath.  As she slipped her fingers out of herself, the sensation of feeling her inner walls relaxing back together made her shiver and squeeze her thighs together.  She rolled over and snatched her pillow into a bear hug, moaning softly into it is satisfaction. She imagined familiar, loving hands rubbing her back and strong but gentle arms embracing her from behind.  She found herself really wanting to wrap her arms around Chat Noir and kiss him again...to feel his warm body pressed against her again and the sound of his purr surrounding them both.

 _I guess I’m feeling cuddly,_ she thought.   _I wanna cuddle with him...I bet he would LOVE cuddles!_

_I wonder if Adrien loves cuddles, too…_

_Oh, shit...Adrien!_

It occurred to her that, when she was wrapped up in her fantasies of Chat Noir, her brain never tried to yank her back to thinking about Adrien, even though Chat Noir had proven capable of distracting her from fantasies of Adrien.  And when she was with Chat Noir in person, wrapped up in his embrace and kissing him...it was like she forgot Adrien even existed. Oh, the moment she thought of anything school related, Adrien would pop right back into her mind, of course, and while she was _at_ school, he was the center of her solar system (most of the time).  But if Chat Noir could make her feel so incandescently happy, and their feelings for each other were mutual…

...did it even make sense to keep pursuing Adrien?  She still didn’t even know if he liked her.

She didn’t _like_ the idea of giving up on Adrien; her heart balked at the very thought of it.  But that didn’t change the fact that she was hanging onto what could still be a very one-sided crush when she now had something very mutual with Chat Noir that could easily turn into something beautiful and everlasting…

...well, if it weren’t for the whole secret identities thing.  How far could a relationship between two people progress when they knew almost nothing about each other?

 _Well, that could just be called a friendship with benefits, I guess,_ Marinette thought dryly.   _Except...it’s not just friendship.  We both already have feeling for each other, and we_ want _there to be!  So, it’s more than that...I_ want _to know who he is...I want him to know who I am…_

_If it weren’t for Adrien…_

She tried to imagine, as clearly as possible, feeling Chat Noir’s arms wrapped around her as he spooned her from behind, nuzzling his nose into her hair and pressing tender kisses to the crown of her head.  It was _so easy_ ...because it it was _so like him!_

 

“I...I want to be with him…” she whimpered aloud into her pillow.  “Tikki...I don’t know how to let go of Adrien, and I don’t think I want to, but...I want Chat Noir to be mine…!”

She heard the tiny _swish_ of Tikki zooming up to her from wherever she had been hiding.

“Aw, Marinette…”  Tikki stroked Marinette’s cheek with a tiny red paw as Marinette gave a sniffle.  “It’ll all work out, don’t worry!”

“But how?” Marinette asked, looking up at Tikki.  “I know being in heat has helped me discover my feelings for Chat Noir, just like you said, but there’s no weaseling out of the fact that I’m in love with _two_ different boys, and when has that _ever_ turned out okay?”

“It always _does_ ...We just don’t know _how_ it will, yet,” Tikki said gently.  “Things with Chat Noir are going so fast because you two are both in heat, but that doesn’t mean Adrien definitely _isn’t_ the one for you.  You just need to explore your relationship with him more, and figure out if you want to try taking it further.  Remember, you’re not really dating either of them; just keep exploring your feelings for each of them, until you figure out which one your true love is!”

Hearing Tikki put her situation into more concrete, real-life terms made her feel a little better, but Marinette was struck with a new thought, and asked, “Tikki...do _you_ feel one might be better for me than the other?”

“It’s hardly fair to compare them that way!” Tikki argued.  “One is your superhero partner who you’re in heat for, and one is your long-time crush who’s also your friend and classmate!  They’re a part of very different sides of your life, and I only hear about Chat Noir secondhand from you!”

“Well, it’s not like you get to observe Adrien very much, either,” Marinette pointed out.  “Just...what do you think of them?”

“Hmm,” Tikki took a moment to collect her thoughts.  “Well, from everything I’ve heard about Chat Noir, and how you feel about your relationship with him, it sounds to me that you two are _very_ compatible with each other!  Remember when we talked about how you two seem to have amazing chemistry together?  Plus, It’s obvious how happy he makes you feel, and you obviously make _him_ very happy, too!  And, you know, I also think it’s sweet that he’s remained in love with you for this long while also being your friend and partner.  It means it’s so much more than just a crush, just like how you still have feelings for Adrien after all this time because you didn’t just develop a crush on him because of his reputation and good looks!

“Now, Adrien...because he’s important to you, he matters to me, too, because I care about you!” Tikki continued, as Marinette listened with rapt attention.  “Chat Noir might be your partner, but that doesn’t automatically mean he’s also your true love, you know? You may be Ladybug, but you’re no less Marinette now then you were before, so there’s no reason you can’t be with Adrien if you two are compatible with each other!  You’re allowed to fall in love with a normal boy as a normal girl!”

“Gee, I should hope so!” Marinette said jokingly with a self-satisfied nod.

“And also, there’s something else...hmm, how do I explain this…?” Tikki mused, bringing a paw to her mouth thoughtfully.

Marinette tilted her head curiously.

“I don’t know how to describe it, but when you’re with Adrien...I get a really good feeling about him, somehow, like he’s very compatible with you, too!”

“Really?” Marinette asked softly, smiling hopefully at Tikki.  “It is like...a kind of sixth sense only kwamis have?”

“Humans can develop it, too, with the right training, like the Grand Guardian,” Tikki replied.  “But, yes, you could think of it that way!”

“That kind of leaves me back in square one, though:  either Adrien or Chat Noir could turn out to be _the one_ , but I can’t figure out which one,” Marinette sighed.  “At least, not yet...but I guess it’s really nice to know that there really is something special about Adrien just like I always felt there was…”

“You’ll figure it out,” Tikki said confidently, waving a paw at Marinette.  “Now, why don’t you make sure your parents aren’t worried about you?”

Marinette groaned.

_If only parents had pause buttons for when their daughters needed to be superheroes…_

~

Marinette staged her return home by turning into Ladybug to jump down to street-level from her balcony, and then she went back inside through the side door as Marinette again.  After apologizing to both her mother and father for worrying them, assuring them she wasn’t hurt, and that it only took her so long to get back because she had been stuck inside the school building by the roses, she managed to get off with just a gentle lecture.  Working on homework was a welcome change of pace after what a hectic day she had, and eating dinner with her family left her feeling pleasantly drowsy. She decided to indulge herself with a hot bath before getting ready for bed.

As she was filling up the tub, she got a text from Alya:

**Alya: Step 1 of Operation: Seduce Adrien Agreste is a go tomorrow morning!  Describe your 3 cutest/cheekiest/sexiest tops and bottoms**

Marinette sighed and rolled her eyes with an exasperated smile.

 **Marinette:**   **Most of what I make/own is cute!  And I dont own anything sexy… :/**

 **Alya:** **Well then what do u have thats cheeky?  Like, cute but not cutesy-cute more like cheeky/flirty cute**

**Marinette:  ???**

**Alya:  DO YOU HAVE A PEEKABOO SHOULDER TOP?  OR AN OFF-THE-SHOULDER TOP?**

**Marinette:  Yes I think so**

**Alya:  COOL ok wear that with something equally cheeky-cute bottom that looks good with it!  Maybe change up your hairstyle and lipgloss color! Or if ur feeling bold go braless! >:D**

**Marinette:  WHAT?! NOOOOOOOO!!!  I will wear my raspberry red lip gloss and my midi shorts that's all!! DX**

**Alya:  That's not gonna look like much of a hidden message but it's something I guess!**

**Marinette: ...I could put a little body glitter on my collarbone…?**

**Alya:  HELL YEAH POWER MOVE DO IT GURL!**

**Marinette:  Ok will do! See u 2morrow! :)**

**Alya:  Good luck! ;)**

Marinette put her phone aside and sank into the water with a sigh.

 _It’s a little weird to try to imagine Adrien getting all flustered over me in a new outfit…_ she mused.   _It’s such a simple, common thing...will it really work on Adrien?  I mean, he’s a special, wonderful boy, but he’s still a BOY and I feel like it’s rude to assume too much that he’s not like other boys...I guess if he didn’t think AT ALL like other boys did, I wouldn’t be able to ask Alya and Nino for advice on how to get him to notice me...And I’d like to still be able to relate to him as a HUMAN, even if he sometimes looks too beautiful to be mortal...but he IS mortal!  Otherwise, he’d be way out of my league!_

~

Climbing into bed rarely felt as nice as it did after a bath or shower and a change of fresh, clean pajamas.  Still, something felt just not quite as comfy as it could be somehow...an extra blanket seemed like it would feel nice, but she wasn’t feeling cold...still, she wanted extra warmth and weight spread over her...like the warmth of another body snuggled up to her…

 _Oh, man...I think I’m still craving cuddles…_ she thought.  She didn’t want to get out of bed just to hunt down an extra blanket, and it any case, it just wouldn’t be the same.

 _I guess I can just fantasize about Chat Noir until I feel sleepier,_ she thought.   _I can just imagine he’s here, cuddling with me…_

She snaked a hand under the hem of her shirt and stroked her ribs and belly before moving higher to slowly grope first one breast, then the other, taking extra time to roll her nipples one at a time with her thumb.  Her breathing slowly deepened, and she could feel a fresh wave of arousal gathering between her legs. She let out a little whine of frustration at the lack of an actual human form pressed against her back. She wrapped both arms around herself as if to give herself a hug, but it wasn’t a good enough substitute for someone else embracing her from behind... _that_ was what she wanted...for Chat Noir to surround her in him, to cocoon her in his touch…!

She yanked her camisole top over her head and then shoved her jersey cotton shorts and panties down and off her legs.  Feeling the sheets surround her naked body was really nice, and for a moment, she thought this would help her feel a little better, but more than anything, it just added to her arousal.  This wouldn’t be the first time she felt horny enough to want to masturbate more than once in a single evening, but somehow...this craving felt more frustrating and harder to shake than usual...she hoped another orgasm would help…

“Tikki…?” she murmured, a sudden thought occurring to her.  “Is there any way being in heat might make me feel...starved for attention?  Like, really crave cuddles with Chat Noir?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that!” Tikki said, zooming into view.  “Don’t you have little phases like that sometimes normally?”

“Yeah, kind of, but…”  Under the covers, she groped between her legs for her aching clit, too impatient to be embarrassed.  “I’ve never felt this way about _Chat Noir_ , and...I dunno, I want more warmth, more weight over me even though I don’t feel cold...I want Chat Noir to just…!”  She paused, blushing, and panting a little as she began stroking herself between her damp folds. “I want to just feel him touch me all over...hold me tight against him...I feel like a full-body massage from him would be the best thing ever right now…”

Tikki’s eyes suddenly went wide.

“Oh…!”

“What?”  Marinette stared at Tikki nervously, stilling her hand.

“Yes, that sounds exactly like one of your symptoms…” Tikki informed her grimly.  “‘The Ache’...usually around the middle of the third week, you start to literally become touch-starved for Chat Noir...like ordinary skin-hunger in humans, but magically-induced, and focused towards Chat Noir only.  It develops gradually, but you’ll start to feel like your body is aching deep inside for Chat Noir to touch you, and it won’t let up until he does. The quickest way to soothe it is for him to massage little circles into your joints and press slow kisses against the spots on your torso where your spots appear as Ladybug.  The complication is, all this physical contact will still help speed up the progression of the mating cycle like everything else does...and the fact that you’re starting to feel it _now_ , already...you’re almost an entire week ahead of schedule!”

“Oh nooooo!” Marinette whined.  “And it’s only going to get worse, isn’t it?”

“Yep.”

“And…!  Wait...this means _Chat Noir’s_ going to start feeling some version of this, too, doesn’t it?”  Marinette wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to self-soothe, but her arousal had all but fled at the thought of Chat Noir in physical distress.

“Yes.”  Tikki nodded seriously.  “He’ll experience it like a kind of dull, burning itch under his skin...and only your touch will make him feel better.”

“That sounds awful…”  Marinette’s worried frown deepened.  “It just doesn’t seem fair for the mating cycle to torture us so much just because we won’t give in to...our ‘instincts’ or whatever.  We’d basically be...touching each other and...stuff...just to avoid being punished by our heats! That just doesn’t seem right!”

Tikki sighed sympathetically.

“I know, Marinette, and I agree with you.”  Tikki settled herself down next to Marinette’s pillow.  “I wish I could turn it off for you...or at least reduce the intensity of your symptoms, but all I can do is support you.”  Tikki stared into space for a moment as if lost in thought, and then quickly turned to Marinette again: she seemed to have just thought of something else.

“If the Ache is starting to come on already, then you’re almost certainly going to be...getting wetter than usual _very_ , very soon, too!  Maybe as soon as tomorrow, I’m afraid.”

Marinette groaned dramatically and rolled onto her back.

“Great!  Just great!”  She threw her arms in the air in frustration.  “As if Chat Noir and I weren’t _already_ having a hard-enough time!  Nope!! Now we get to suffer withdrawal symptoms!!  And _I_ get to torture Chat Noir whether I want to or not by getting my panties soaked!!  GODDAMMIT!”

But Marinette was too tired to fume for long...tomorrow would come regardless of how much or how little she was looking forward to it, or how much sleep she got, and so she tried to clear her mind by imagining the sound of Chat Noir’s purr in her ear.  After about twenty minutes, she finally drifted off to sleep…

And that night, she dreamed sweet dreams of blonde hair, green eyes, and a sleek black form tangled up with hers.


	11. Whispers In The Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawk Moth is dumbfounded when Ladybug Chat Noir prove themselves to be immune to Black Rose’s powers and take her down with ease, but he’s more concerned with the strange effects the pink butterfly seems to having on his powers...and then, when the second pink butterfly returns to his lair, he’s forced to reevaluate his strategy when it appears that Ladybug’s miraculous may be attempting to sabotage his mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last! I can hardly believe how long it’s been since I lasted updated...believe me, it’s been frustrating to put this fic on hold while I recover! I’m on the mend, however, so I can start coming back to this beloved story of mine, as long as I pace myself carefully until I’m back to 100%. Thanks to everyone for being patient and encouraging; your comments, as always, continue to bring me many happy smiles! Being centered around Hawk Moth, this chapter will be a shorter one, but my excitement for the chapters to come continues to grow!

Watching Ladybug and Chat Noir defeat his supervillains never got any less frustrating, no matter how many times he saw it happen...but this latest failure was nothing short of infuriating, _humiliating!_  If the Black Rose Fairy could have turned Ladybug and Chat Noir against each other, then whatever mysterious abilities their mating cycle might give them would have been useless!  But instead, they had both been _impervious!_  And the way Chat Noir had both him and Black Rose fooled, it was like putting a gun to the brat’s head and pulling the trigger, only for a bouquet of flowers to pop out:  Completely and utterly humiliating.

He would _still_ be in a towering rage over the whole thing, except…something was very wrong.  And he was pretty sure he knew what was causing it…

He waited, staring up at the enormous window expectantly, and, sure enough, another glowing pink butterfly came flying in, trailing sparkling lights behind it.  He eyed it warily, but extended a  hand to it.  It obediently fluttered forward and landed in the palm of his hand.  He focused on it, but just like the first pink butterfly, and the rest of its white brethren, it carried no emotional vibrations...not even from Ladybug or Chat Noir, which he had thought might be the case...but there was no way he had only imagined it, was there...?

But then, it hit him again without warning, and he flinched, jerking his hand back and sending the butterfly fluttering away again.   

It was a rush of emotions that he could _tell_ had come from the butterfly, second-hand from...someone, since the butterflies themselves felt no emotions themselves...but from who?  Ladybug?  He couldn’t be sure...but they were so familiar to him, they could have been his own, from another not-so-distant time…

It was the same stone-dropping-into-the-pit-of-your-stomach feeling of panic he felt whenever Adrien went missing; he felt it when he had entered Adrien’s room last Christmas to find that his son had somehow climbed out through his window; he felt it when Adrien snuck out of the house last September to go to school; he felt it whenever Nathalie and Adrien’s bodyguard failed to get his son home safely before a supervillain’s rampage swept the city; and ever since Adrien was _born_ to around age five, he had felt it pretty much every time he heard a loud noise anywhere in the house (until Adrien had grown mature enough to know how _not_ to hurt himself on the home furnishings).

And the moment Chat Noir had been enveloped in Black Rose’s plants...he had felt it then, too...for the briefest moment.  And then his thoughts were his own again the very next second.  For the _next_ few seconds, he was stunned, disbelieving...and _then_ , both he and Black Rose were dumbfounded by the revelation that the roses’ perfume had been worthless against their two enemies, and that Chat Noir had completely fooled them!

Now that he was thinking this whole thing through logically, it made the most sense to assume that it had, indeed, been Ladybug’s emotions he had felt in that moment: her partner had just been snatched up by their enemy’s enchanted roses, turning the odds against her.  Naturally, she would worry; about her partner, and about the fight.  The _how_ and _what_ , then, was clear...but _why_?  How did transmitting echoes of Ladybug’s emotions to him help protect her and Chat Noir from him?

Did Ladybug actually control what she did to his akuma?  He doubted she had meant to have the first pink butterfly do what it did in that moment; why he would have sensed her deliberate intention if she had.  So, then...was it just a spell her miraculous passed on by itself?  That still didn’t explain _why_ …

Unless…

 _Does her miraculous intend to paralyze me with_ empathy? he thought incredulously.  Still watching the pink butterflies, he sneered at them contemptuously.

“Just who do you think I am?” he demanded aloud.  “You are foolish and naive, if you think I’ll show you mercy just because you’re a child...”  

He raised his gaze to the dome-shaped walls that surrounded and towered over him, as if he could imagine seeing Ladybug through them, hiding in plain sight somewhere in Paris…

“The echoes of your distress is _music_ to my ears!” he roared, spreading his arms wide with a wicked grin.  “Taint my akuma with your mating-cycle voodoo all you will, but I _will_ take you down, sooner or later, and when I do, I will _revel_ in your despair!”

His tirade was met with silence, of course, save for the fluttering of countless tiny wings.  Nevertheless, it had the same cathartic effect as it always did to vent his frustration after suffering second-hand defeat by Ladybug and Chat Noir.  He now stood still, both hands on his cane, frowning pensively.

Reluctant though he was to admit it, Nooroo might be able to offer insight on this...latest development.  He was also fairly certain that Nooroo knew better than to say, “I told you so,” at least.  If he was to be any more successful next time, he needed to know more.

He shed his transformation and held out a hand to keep the tired kwami from falling out of the air.  Nooroo plopped into his open palm, then sat himself up to glance about the dark, cavernous room; he seemed to expect to find something amiss.

“Ah...another akuma came back enchanted,” he noted, catching sight of the two pink butterflies.  He looked up at Gabriel curiously.  “Did...anything strange happen?  That didn’t happen last time, I mean?”

Gabriel blinked, then glanced at the butterflies again pensively, trying to decide how best to describe his experience…

“The moment my supervillain caught Chat Noir in her trap…” he began slowly, “I suddenly sensed...a brief flash of panic, and fear for him, as clearly as if I had honed in on it myself...but I hadn’t, and it wasn’t from my supervillain, either.  I’m guessing it was from Ladybug; the timing matches, and it _is_ her magic in these two akuma.”

Nooroo’s eyes widened slightly in surprise and interest.

“That...certainly makes the most sense…” he mused.  “But...if I may ask, Master...you said you’re _guessing_ it was from Ladybug...but if you sensed what you did so clearly, as you said...how could you not _tell_ it was from Ladybug?  That ability is part of your powers as Hawk Moth.”

Already frowning, Gabriel’s jaw clenched slightly.  Nooroo was honestly just confused and curious, he knew, but the question still _felt_ pointed, an arrow right into his dignity.

Gabriel Agreste was the kind of man who prefered not to go around displaying his emotions for all to know unless there was a reason for it; if letting his feelings show would reveal a loss of composure on his part, then he would keep them locked up inside rather than than let anyone know he was feeling scared or hurt.  Family life had allowed him and his wife and son to balance one another, emotionally, but after Mme. Agreste had disappeared, he had withdrawn, unable and unwilling to accept that she might never return to fill the gaping hole she had left in his home…

...which brought him to where he was now:  using the powers of the Butterfly Brooch to acquire the Ladybug’s Earrings and the Black Cat’s Ring…

...and deeply reluctant to tell his kwami that Ladybug’s emotions had--for the briefest instant--shaken him, and he was afraid to find out why.

But if he didn’t figure out his enemies’ new tricks, he would just be wasting his time here until their mating cycle was over...And why should he wait, when there was still a possibility he could find a way to gain the upper hand?  His pride should be a small price to pay.

“Master?”

He glanced back at Nooroo, who was now eyeing him with something akin to intrigue.  Gabriel did his best to shake off his irritation and pull his thoughts back together.

“...When I felt her fear for Chat Noir…” he finally said carefully, “It was so suddenly, I was caught off-guard...and thought it was my own.  I know that feeling well...from when I worry for my son.”

He had glanced away again, unable to hold the kwami’s gaze.  Nooroo wasn't sure how to react.

While it broke Nooroo’s little heart to know that the Butterfly’s Brooch was being used for evil, he didn’t hate his master, nor did he see Gabriel Agreste as being an irredeemably evil man.  Perhaps, being a kwami, he _couldn’t_ , even though he had plenty of reason to resent the man for what he did with his ill-gotten power.  He corrupted the innocent and manipulated them, terrorized the people of Paris and sewed the seeds of chaos, all in the pursuit of absolute power...but his wish was to use it to bring back someone he had lost to extraordinary circumstances that he felt he could never live without.

He was incredibly self-centered and arrogant, and grief had filled him with bitterness and hardened his heart.  His ambition had given him tunnel-vision and made him ruthless, to the point where he thought nothing of the thousands of lives he endangered every time he sent out an akuma...

...but he still loved his son, Adrien, in his own way, however little he showed it.

“Answer me this if you can, Nooroo,” Gabriel said, wrenching his gaze away from the pink butterflies.  “Does Ladybug control the magic she’s cast on my akuma, or is it just her mating cycle acting through her miraculous on its own?”

Nooroo blinked, snapping out of his reverie.  He brought a paw to his chin thoughtfully.

“I can only make an intuitive guess, based on my overall understanding of the miraculous in general,” he said after a moment’s thought.  “Only Ladybug’s kwami knows exactly how her powers work, and how her mating cycle affects them.  I don’t _think_ she can, but I really don’t know.”  

“Then...if that’s the case, she doesn’t know what she’s done to my akumas, correct?” Gabriel asked, much calmer now that they were talking logistics.

“Most likely,” Nooroo replied with a hesitant nod.  “But then, if Ladybug’s kwami knows what’s been done, she’ll tell Ladybug, of course.”

Gabriel grunted in acknowledgement, deep in thought.  Then, a very unsettling thought occurred to him.

“Is it possible that Ladybug and her kwami could _track_ the akumas they’ve enchanted and _find_ this place?” he asked, his tone steely and his eyes wide with barely-concealed panic.

Nooroo’s eyes bugged out, and his little body was almost vibrating in midair from alarm.  Then, he seemed to relax after a moment’s thought.

“Well, if that were possible at this point, they would have already done that,” he said nervously.

Gabriel relaxed only slightly, his jaw still clenched.    

“...and if _more_ enchanted akumas come back here?” he asked tensely.

Nooroo’s expression only crumpled further.

“I really couldn’t say, Master,” he said apologetically.  “Perhaps the more enchanted akumas come back here, the more ways they’ll start to affect both you and Ladybug and Chat Noir…this is only the second akuma to return, and you’re already experiencing strange effects...and what’s more, you’ve now seen for yourself that Ladybug and Chat Noir will only be more difficult to defeat while they’re in heat.”  He paused and took a deep breath as if steeling himself.  “If I may speak freely, Master, you have nothing to gain by continuing to pursue their miraculouses while they’re still in heat; you’re only taking additional risks!”

Gabriel’s eyes flashed and Nooroo pressed his paws together anxiously under his Master’s glare.  Gabriel didn’t say anything, however; more than anything, Nooroo was simply voicing concerns that--if he was honest with himself--had already begun to occur to him.  Hearing them explicitly pointed out to his face was just irritating; he didn’t want to hear any of it, but he would be a fool to ignore it.

Backing off until their mating cycle was over would mean putting his mission on hold for three more weeks, but there could be a possible benefit to luring them into a false sense of security...but there had never been any pattern to where and when and how frequently he sent out an akuma anyway, and so Ladybug and Chat Noir had no reason to change how they approached each of his supervillains...especially since every supervillain he made was different.

But that was the thing: the identity and abilities of every supervillain was shaped by their identities and woes as civilians.  He couldn’t _design_ the perfect supervillain with the perfect set of abilities to take down Ladybug and Chat Noir, because his victims were desperate for the abilities to change their circumstances, and if he couldn’t offer that to them, they had nothing to gain by agreeing to steal the miraculouses for him, even when the strength of their negative emotions made them weak against his akuma’s influence.  All of this meant that every chance to akumatize someone he passed up was a missed opportunity that he might never get again, and he had no way of knowing when the next supervillain he created would be the _one_.

None of this, however, completely justified risking giving Ladybug a way to track down the location of his secret lair...unless it was to lure her into a trap.  And being in heat made an already-perfect hostage into something even _more_ personal…

Nooroo’s eyes widened anxiously as he saw his Master’s expression clear and the shadow of a smirk appear as the wheels turned in Gabriel’s head.

“Well, then...this just turns my situation into a risk-versus-reward scenario,” he said half to himself as he turned away from his kwami.  “You may consider your warnings duly noted, Nooroo...if Ladybug and Chat Noir ever find their way here, it will be on my own terms, to make their final stand.”

Nooroo watched his master leave not knowing how worried to feel, only that he dare not feel optimistic at this point:  Gabriel was showing no signs of giving up, and if he could indeed find a way to take advantage of the mating cycle…

 _It looks like the stakes are higher for both sides, now,_ Nooroo thought sadly.   _I hope their miraculouses will keep them safe...good fortune be with them.  And maybe...just maybe...they’ll keep surprising us, and bring an end to all of this that no one has to suffer for…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: The Adrienette intensifies! >:D


	12. Can You Feel This?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Marinette and Adrien each wake up from a wet dream about their partner-turned-lover, and they both worry with good reason that their heats are progressing to the next level. For Adrien, the line between Ladybug and Marinette is mysteriously blurred when he sees his Lady without her mask in his dream. Marinette puts on a new look and executes Operation: Seduce Adrien Agreste, which leads to some very sexually-charged moments and sends Adrien’s sanity into a tailspin when the ‘itch’ strikes him without warning. After the class is divided into groups for a science project and Adrien pushes through fencing class, he spends lunch period talking to Plagg about his mating cycle, desperate for some explanation to his predicament.

> Feel this / Can you feel this
> 
> My heart beating out of my chest?
> 
> Feel this / Can you feel this
> 
> Salvation under my breath?
> 
> \- Bethany Joe Galeotti, “Feel This (feat. Enation)”

_Wednesday, September 7th_

Marinette couldn’t have explained how she ended up like this...but that was how dreams worked:  they always seemed to start in the middle of the action, and only made sense as they happened.  Thus, it never once occurred to her to wonder how she had ended up lying naked with Chat Noir on her bed, wrapped tightly in his arms and craving his touch more than she had craved anything before in her life...all that mattered was that she was finally getting what she so desperately needed: tender touches from gentle hands, deep pressure from loving arms, and sweet, _sweet_ kisses from reverent lips.  

She clung to Chat Noir desperately, wanting-- _needing_ \--to keep her body pressed flush against his as he rutted against her, sending delicious throbs of pleasure rippling through her body.  She was _so wet_ ...it was like her body was _weeping_ with need for him.  In the throes of her intense arousal, she couldn’t stop squirming; squeezing Chat Noir’s hips between her thighs and rubbing her calves against his legs as he ravaged her neck with kisses, licks, and love-bites.  Even with the husky rumble of his purr right under her ear, she could hear the sounds of her own pants and whimpers piercing the silence of her room.  

“Please…” she moaned, struggling to maintain the rhythm of her rolling hips against his as her pleasure reached a fevered pitch.  “Please...More...I need _more…_ !  Chat Noir, I _need you!_ ”

“I want…” he panted, “To give you...everything you want...my Lady…” He latched onto the side of her neck in another love-bite and stole a taste of her skin with a greedy swipe of his tongue.  “But I have to find you...or _you_ have to find _me_ …” He raised his head so that he could look into her eyes.  His expression was yearning, his pupils blown wide...though he was having just as much trouble keeping his eyes open as she was.  “I’ll share every part of me with you...if you’ll share yourself with me…?  Marinette…?”

She couldn’t properly form words to answer him with; she could only try to nod fervently, and hope her expression told him what he wanted to hear.  Every other breathless pant to escape her was a soft cry of pleasure, her climax mere seconds away...he brought his hands to her face and pulled her in for a kiss--

Only for her to wake with a startled gasp.

Panting slightly, she blinked several times, dazed.  She was a bit sweaty, and her skin felt ever-so-slightly...tingly?  No...it was the same slight ache she had felt last night; that craving for cuddles from Chat Noir.  Shifting slightly, she registered that her bed sheets were in disarray, tangled up and twisted around her legs...not all that unusual for her, but…

_Whoa, hang on, why are my panties so wet--?!  Oh..._

Spreading her legs apart slightly, she touched a fingertip to the crotch of her panties and found that, sure enough, she was wet enough to have soaked right through them.

_Did I just...have a wet dream about Chat Noir?!  Oh man...I bet Tikki’s gonna tell me my heat is getting worse…_

Marinette sat up and shivered in response to a throb of lingering arousal between her thighs.

“Tikki…?” she called softly.

Tikki flew into Marinette’s field of view from below, looking fully awake and chipper as always.

“Good morning!” Tikki greeted.  “I’m guessing you had a very erotic dream about Chat Noir that you want to talk about?”

Marinette gaped at Tikki.

“Whaa--?!  Was it _that_ obvious?!  Did I...say his name in my _sleep_ or something?!”

“Well...yes, you did, but even if you hadn’t, it’s an easy guess for me.  Almost every single Ladybug in heat has at least one dream about Chat Noir, and you were...moving around a lot and...stuff.”  She smiled apologetically at Marinette, who was blushing magenta with embarrassment.

“I...yeah, I did…” she admitted.  “And...my panties are soaked through…” she whispered bashfully.  She forced herself to look back up at Tikki.  “Is that...another one of my symptoms?”

“Ah…”  Tikki looked more serious.  “Yes, that’s the...extra wetness starting up.  Considering you’ve started feeling the ache already, I’d be more surprised if you _weren’t_ experiencing this by now.”

Marinette’s eyes bugged out; she had just remembered something.

“So that means...Chat Noir’s gonna be able to smell it, too?” she croaked.  “And it’s going to make him... _want_ me even _more?!_ ”

Tikki nodded gravely.  “Sorry, Marinette...I’d recommend wearing pantyliners from here on out until your cycle is over...it won’t mask the scent from Chat Noir, but at least you don’t have to worry about getting your shorts and pants and skirts wet.”

Marinette yanked her pillow towards her, buried her face in it, and screamed.

“Oh, Marinette...try not to worry about it so much,” Tikki said bracingly.  “Oh, I know!”  She perked up again and smiled at Marinette encouragingly, clapping her paws together.  “Weren’t you going to dress up for Adrien today?  Why don’t you pick out your outfit?”

“Oh!!”  Marinette sat up ramrod-straight and shoved her pillow back behind her where it belonged.  Grabbing her phone, she scrambled down the stepladder and opened up her messages app to look back at her text conversation with Alya from last night.

“An off-the-shoulder or peekaboo-shoulder top…” she muttered to herself, scrolling slowly through the conversation.  “My midi shorts...my raspberry lipgloss...and body glitter for my collarbone...should I wear my hair different today, too?”

She tried to picture herself as Adrien might see her, approaching from a distance.  Where would his eyes be drawn?  Or rather, where did _she_ want his eyes to be drawn?

 _I wonder what he thinks my most attractive features are…_ she thought.   _Certainly I’d like him to be drawn to my lips~_  She grinned giddily at the thought.   _Ah_ , _and wouldn’t it be nice if he could get lost in my eyes…!  Ooh!  Or if he got the urge to run his fingers through my hair because he’s never seen it down before and thought it looked pretty fluttering in the breeze…!  Eeeeeee...!_

 _But wait...what I_ definitely _know he’s noticed is my scent!  He’s sniffed me...what, twice now?  At least?  Maybe_ that’s _what I should emphasize...in which case I think I should actually go without the body glitter...I don’t want it interfering with my natural scent!  Because, whatever my scent is like, he seems to really like it!_

Now having a good idea of what she wanted her look to be, Marinette headed straight for the bathroom to wash her face and brush her hair, feeling bold and excited.

~

She was everywhere...all around him...his entire world had shrunk down to the size of a single room, everything else disappearing until nothing existed beyond the two of them, entwined in one another on the bed.  He held her as close as humanly possible, and she clung to him desperately, pressing her body against him and letting her legs tangle with his.  She was letting him grind out his pent-up hunger for her against her slick folds, and the wet sounds mingled with her ragged pants, whimpers, and soft moans, further fueling the fire in his blood and pulling sounds of pleasure from him that rivaled her own in volume...some of them he wasn’t sure had ever come out of him before.  He kissed her like their lives depended on it, breaking away only to lap greedily at her bare skin and gently but ravenously gnaw at her neck.  

“Please…” she moaned.  “I need _more…_ !  Chat Noir, I _need you!_ ”

“I want…” he panted, “To give you...everything you want...my Lady…” He dragged his teeth over her skin and tasted lust on his tongue.  

“Please…” she whispered.  “I want...to _find_ you... _find_ me, Chat Noir…!”

He raised his head so that he could look into her eyes, struggling to keep his eyes open and make his mind focus…

_Find you?  Find me?_

Her expression was yearning, and even in the dark, he could see the blush in her cheeks…

Her mask wasn’t there.

“...Marinette…?”

He had never seen her like this in real life: her dark hair tousled on the bed beneath her cheek, her face flushed and lips parted as she panted and whimpered her pleasure, her eyelids fluttering as she clung to him.  And yet, there was no doubt in his mind: those sky-blue eyes, petite nose, and soft pink lips...they could only be _hers…_

His Lady…

Mesmerized by the sight of her, the _sounds_ of her, he cupped her face in his hands and coaxed her lips towards him…

Only for it all to disappear when he woke with a gasp.

The first thing he registered was that his underwear was sticky with jizz.  Adrien grumbled in annoyance.

 _Come on, we didn’t even get to finish in the dream!_ he thought, pouting.   _It always has to end in the middle of the action..._

Adrien shivered: he seemed to have sweated a lot over the course of the night, and his bedcovers were a lot more tousled around him than usual.  

Given what kind of a dream he had just had, he wasn’t really surprised, and dreams like this about Ladybug were fairly common for him, now _especially_ since the glorious day she had returned his feelings and kissed him straight to cloud nine.  And yes, he had dreamed about being intimate with her, as intimate as two humans could be with each other...

No, the only strange part was that he had taken the preventative measure of taking care of himself right _before_ he went to sleep and had _still_ managed to come in his sleep.   He couldn’t remember the last time it hadn’t worked...maybe he was foolish to assume it was a foolproof strategy, but he just couldn’t help but wonder…

... _Is this another sign my heat is getting worse?_

Rolling over, he reached for his phone on his desk beside the bed to check the time; his alarm was due to go off in less than ten minutes.  With a sigh, he sat up, heaved himself to his feet, and headed for the bathroom to freshen up.

After his morning shower, Adrien found Plagg awake and waiting for him, looking strangely expectant sitting on his pillow.

“Uh...good morning?” Adrien greeted Plagg warily, keeping one eye on the kwami as he cautiously approached his dresser.

“The morning isn’t good until I’ve had my cheese,” Plagg responded pompously, crossing his tiny arms and puffing out his chest.  “Sleep well?” he asked smoothly.  “Sounded like you and Ladybug were having quite the dreamland frolic in the sheets...or was it Marinette this time?”

Adrien turned bright red and gaped at Plagg in humiliated outrage, but then remembered something strange from his dream.

“It was...it _was_ Ladybug, but…”  He frowned thoughtfully.  “But she was...she wasn’t wearing her mask...and I _called_ her Marinette...even though I was calling her ‘my Lady’ before…”  He brought a hand to his head, straining to think back, but finding his memory fuzzy.  “I can’t remember if her face changed...I just know I _recognized_ her...I don’t know if she was Ladybug the whole time, or if was Marinette the whole time, and I just switched names for dream-logic reasons, or if she changed at some point and I didn’t notice or care for dream-logic reasons…”

“I think you’re overthinking the whole thing,” Plagg remarked carelessly.  “It was a _dream_ ; it doesn’t _have_ to make any sense.  We already know you’ve got the lovey-dovey eyes for Marinette as well as Ladybug, now--well, _I_ know, anyway--so your subconscious dreamed up a fantasy where you got to have them both.”

“I do _not_ have the same feelings for Ladybug and Marinette,” Adrien said flatly.  “I won’t pretend I know _what_ I feel for Marinette, but whatever it is, it’s...different.”

“Whatever you say, Lover-boy,” Plagg drawled.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Adrien pushed on, starting to pull out his clothes for the day.  “That wasn’t the only weird thing...she told me...she wanted to _find_ me...or that I had to find _her._ I was already _there_ with her, but she...she made it sound like she couldn’t...like we couldn’t _be together_ until...until something important happened…”

Plagg heaved a sigh, apparently exasperated with Adrien’s density.

“ _Obviously_ , that’s your subconscious expressing your desire to know Ladybug’s true identity and for her to know yours before you two go _all the way_ to _rolling in the hay_ ,” he explained.

Adrien scowled, and blushed again as he always did at any mention of sleeping with the love of his life.

“Well, whatever, maybe you’re right, and it’s nothing” he admitted, shoving his feet into a pair of dark-grey jeans.  “But what about the fact that I took _preventative measures_ and yet still managed to _come in my sleep_?” he asked, forcing the sentence out before he could trip over his words in embarrassment.

“What about it?” Plagg retorted, shrugging.  “You’re a teenage boy lusting after a girl--or two--and you’re in heat on top of that.  Hardly shocking.”

“That’s my _point_!” Adrien exclaimed, pulling on a long-sleeved apple-green shirt.  “What if it’s a sign that my heat is about to get worse?”

“Of course it’s getting worse,” Plagg drawled.  “You two can’t lock eyes without locking lips for two hours.”

“Arrgh!”  Adrien groaned in frustration.  “Plagg, just tell me if I’m being paranoid or not!”

“It could be related, but it might not be,” Plagg responded offhandedly with a shrug.  “It’s not a symptom by itself...although, speaking of symptoms…”

Adrien spun around, a dark-green sweater in his hands, and stared at Plagg in alarm.

“I figure I might as well warn you about what comes next,” Plagg said, settling himself more comfortably on Adrien’s pillow.  “We call it, the ‘itch.’  It feels like a barely-there itch, but _under_ your skin, mostly in your scalp, neck, shoulders, back, and chest.  You’ll start to crave Ladybug’s touch--well, even more that usual--because the only way to soothe it is for Ladybug to stroke you, or by rubbing against Ladybug, like a cat, basically.  I’m not trying to add to your worries,” he added.  “Just warning you, so you recognize it when it hits you.”

Adrien had to take a moment to digest this new, alarming information.

“And it’s just one of the symptoms?” he finally asked.  “It’s not actually harmful?”

“No, but it’ll get steadily worse over time as the rest of your symptoms develop and drive you crazy.  Keep me updated on how it changes; it’ll help warn us that your feline tendencies are going to add up.”

“Okay…” Adrien sighed, pulling the sweater over his head.  “Ugh, there’s so much to worry about...”

“Keeping track of it all can be _my_ job,” Plagg said.  “You just keep talking to me, okay?”

“Okay...thanks, Plagg.  I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You wouldn’t be Chat Noir, and your live would be dreary.” Plagg responded instantly, puffing himself up.  “Now, where’s my Camembert?”

~

When Marinette came out of Tom & Sabine’s Boulangerie, she found Alya waiting for her.

“Alya!  Are you going to walk to school with me?” she asked, stroking a lock of her own hair absentmindedly.

“Duh!  Girl, this morning is going to be a turning point in the story of your love-life!” Alya exclaimed, gesturing grandly.  “I’ve gotta make sure your outfit is on-point and give you the inspirational pep-talk!”  She looked Marinette up and down.

“What do you think?” Marinette asked, smiling as she gave a slow twirl.  “I wasn’t sure if wearing a necklace or bracelet would dressing up a bit too much or not, but I followed your recommendations:  peekaboo-shoulder top, kinda-short-but-not-mini-shorts, and something different for my hair and lipgloss.  Oh, and I decided to go with my macaron-pink sandals and a matching headband.”  She brought a hand up to the headband in question, which was decorated with pink blossoms.  “I kept my makeup face the same, though.”

“What did you do to your nose?” Alya asked, leaning in curiously.

“Oh, I, uh…”  Marinette had forgotten all about the scrape on the tip of her nose until she had started doing her morning makeup, but it looked like it hadn’t quite scabbed over completely, so she had dabbed some antibiotic cream on it instead of trying to cover it up with concealer.  “I...scraped it on the wall when I was rushing downstairs.”

“Well, I still give the outfit ten-outta-ten!” Alya said with a wink and a finger-gun.  “I love the ruffles along the neckline!  It’s still totally you, but it also whispers, ‘There’s something about her today…’.  If you don’t catch Adrien ogling at you, at least for a second, then he’s an oblivious banana tree.”

“Great!  So…”  Marinette and Alya started walking down the sidewalk.  “Should I _act_ any differently when I’m around him?  I mean, do I have to do something special?  You _know_ I’m not very good at being subtle…”

“No, you have a hard enough time acting normal around him already!” Alya laughed.  “Just be yourself, same as always, but _watch_ him.  Pay attention to where his eyes go, and we’ll get an idea of how well an outfit can catch his attention!”

“O-okay...I think I can do that,”  Marinette said slowly, nodding.  Privately to herself, she added, _Let’s see if he tries to_ sniff _me again, too!_  Her heart was fluttering with nerves, but also with excitement.

~

Now that Adrien had an idea of how his heat was going to further torture him next, he felt restless and on-edge, almost paranoid.  He couldn’t stop worrying that this “itch” was going to come on suddenly out of nowhere and make it impossible for him to function.  From the way Plagg had spoken about it, it sounded like it was going to develop gradually and worsen over time, more quickly the more often he and Ladybug saw each other…

 _Wait a minute…_ he thought.   _Ladybug!  If_ I’m _going to start feeling all weird and awful and craving Ladybug’s touch, then...won’t_ she _start feeling like that, too?!  So far, it seems like each of Ladybug’s symptoms are either counterparts to each of_ my _symptoms, or the_ same _has mine.  So that means…_

He felt his face turn red.

_SHE’S going to be craving MY touch because SHE’S going to be feeling miserable and my touch is the only thing that can make her feel better?!  Oh god...HOW am I supposed to suddenly stop touching her if that’s what keeps her from feeling miserable?!  That goes against every fiber of my being!!  AUGH!!!_

He made a mental note to talk to Plagg ASAP so he could hopefully figure out how he and Ladybug were going to handle this.

 _Oh man…_  Adrien rubbed his hands over his face tiredly.   _These next two and a half weeks are going be so stressful...and what about that?!  Stress is NOT conducive to romance!!  Geez, it’s like our miraculouses are torturing us until we stop fighting their influence and just give in...wow, that really sucks…_

“Adrien, we’re here.”

Adrien returned to the present at the sound of Nathalie’s voice.  The car must have pulled up to the school and he hadn’t reacted.  

“Sorry!” he said, grabbing his bag.  “I’m moving, now!”

Right on cue, the Gorilla opened the curbside passenger door for him from outside.  Adrien got out of the car and started making his way to the school doors.  He casually glanced around at the other students also arriving, just in case he knew any of them.  On the days Nino got to school earlier, he liked to take the spare time to chat with his best friend.

He found Nino waiting for him in the hallway.  He gave a cheery wave, feeling more relaxed now that he was in familiar good company.

“Hey, man!”  The two boys exchanged a fist bump.  “You’ve got fencing today later, right?”

Adrien dug out his phone to check.

“Uh...yeah, looks like I do!” he responded, his voice a pitch higher than usual.  He had been so frazzled this morning from his talk with Plagg that he had apparently not taken in anything from the schedule Nathalie had shown him at breakfast.

“Lucky…” Nino groaned.  “All of us who _don’t_ have sports today have to go to the library and get assigned into small groups for our first _research project_.”

“What, so, everyone with sports on Wednesday gets a free pass?” Adrien asked, confused.  “That doesn’t seem fair.”

“No, you’re getting assigned into a group, same as the rest of us, you just don’t have to meet with your group in the library to do whatever practice assignments the teacher gives us for picking out our topics and stuff,” Nino explained.  “It means instead of having to review how to research our topic materials and plan and pre-write and essay for the _umptieth time_ , you get to go to a fencing lesson and then start collaborating on whatever topic the rest of your group has settled on and skip the awkward-as-hell study session with the teacher hovering around talking to us like we’re grade-schoolers the whole time!”

“I would have preferred to help pick a topic and help with planning,even if our science teacher is a bit...grating sometimes,” Adrien said sympathetically.  “Hopefully we’ll both get assigned to groups with people we can work well with.”

“Yeah, like each other!”  Nino said.  “That would be nice…or maybe with Alya or with Marinette.  Just as long as none of us are stuck with _Chloe_.”

Adrien smiled awkwardly and forced a chuckle.  “I don’t think Chloe would do anything to disrupt the project...she’d probably find an excuse to not do her share of the work at all.”

“That was when she had Sabrina to do her homework for her,” Nino grumbled.  “Maybe she’ll try to recruit a new crony…”

“Honestly, I think she’s still handing off a lot of her schoolwork to Sabrina,” Adrien said with another wry smile.  “Sabrina’s been doing Chloe’s homework since grade school.”

“Heh, wow…” Nino chuckled, shaking his head.  “Makes sense, though.”  

Just then, something behind Adrien seemed to catch Nino’s attention:  he leaned slightly to the side to look over Adrien’s shoulder and waved, smiling.

“Hey, girls!”

Adrien turned around as Alya returned Nino’s greeting and waved back.  He didn’t recognize Marinette at first without her hair in their signature pigtails, but when she spoke a second later, the familiar sound of her voice made it click.

“Uh, hi!  Adrien!” she greeted shyly with a little wave.

His heart did a giddy little flutter and his focus of attention zoomed in completely on Marinette; he felt almost spoiled to be the first, sole recipient of Marinette’s attention, like a little kid on his birthday.  He zeroed in on the somewhat shy but happy gaze she was fixing him with, and vaguely registered his own mouth stretching into a smile.

“Hi!” he responded.  “I...almost didn’t recognize you, Marinette!”  Inwardly, he was surprised to hear his voice coming out much softer and half an octave higher than usual.  His hand came up involuntarily to rub at the back of his neck as he felt his cheeks warm, but then he noticed the pinkish-red scrape on the tip of her nose, and he frowned in concern.  

“What happened to your nose?” he asked, leaning in slightly.  His hand hovered uncertainly just in front of him as he stopped himself from reaching out to touch her cheek.

“What?  Oh…”  Marinette giggled a little--breathlessly, Adrien thought--and brought up a hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.  “I, uh...scraped it on the wall when I...was running downstairs.”  She grinned sheepishly.  “It looks worse than it is, it’s...no big deal.”

Adrien opened his mouth to respond, but then noticed something that, to him, was like discovering a great treasure of the earth, and he simply _couldn’t_ hold himself back.  He reached out and gently brought his fingertips to Marinette’s cheek.  She went still and watched Adrien’s face, transfixed.  (Unnoticed by their mutual friends, meanwhile, Alya and Nino had shuffled off to give the two “lovebirds” their space.)

“I never noticed you had freckles…” he murmured, his gaze warming.  “How did I never notice them…?”

Marinette blushed, but rather than stiffening out of nervousness, she seemed to relax in response to his voice, her lips slackening, and her eyes softening.

Something about her expression filled him with the temptation to bring his other hand to her face and coax her to him so that he could wrap his arms around her and pull her close and kiss her over and over again as they let their hands stroke loving warm into each other’s skin…!

 _Nope!  Nope, don’t even think about it!_ Adrien scolded himself.  Of course, telling yourself to _not_ think about something is an almost sure-fire way to make yourself think about it _more_ , and so Adrien only found himself further imagining what it would feel like to have their bare bodies pressed against each other, arms wrapped around each other, exploring and worshipping...

. _...Oh my god, what is WRONG with me?!  No, don’t freak out, just…!  Just don’t do anything creepy…!_

Marinette’s voice brought him back to reality, and in hindsight, Adrien was proud he didn’t startle and retreat away from her in a rush to give her back her space.   _He_ was certainly freaking out over his own behavior on the inside, but Marinette didn’t seem weirded-out at all...

“Well, they are pretty tiny…” she said with a smile, her gaze dropping modestly.

 _Wait, what are talking about, again?_ Adrien thought.   _Oh, right:  her freckles.  They really_ are _adorable..._

“...almost invisible in the winter, and they’re not all over my face, just, you know...across the bridge of my nose, mostly…”  Marinette scratched an itch at the corner of her jaw with a finger.  “I don’t really expect anybody to notice them…”   _Am I babbling?_ she thought, _Yeah, I’m definitely babbling._

Adrien’s eyes followed the motion of her hand and fixed on the side of her neck, and he vividly recalled the lovely scent of her at the sight.  At that point, it was impossible to _not_ notice Marinette’s exposed collarbone and shoulder, which Adrien was sure would smell heavenly if he only gave in to his urges, but he was starting to freak out again about where his train of thought was going:  his tomcat instincts were urging him with an unnerving persistence to move in close to her and lean in to drink in her scent...and to nuzzle her, _kiss_ her throat, _lick_ her soft skin and _nibble_ on her with his _teeth_ … _!_  

 _Argh, no!!  Oh my god…_  Adrien gave himself a shake and a mental slap to the face, taking a step back to give Marinette more space and bringing his hands back.   _What the hell is wrong with me?!_

“Uh--!  Uh--!”  He glanced rapidly from side to side, scrambling for some sort of recovery or escape.  Marinette just kept staring at him with wide eyes and her mouth slack; a fitting expression for watching a socially-awkward weirdo freak out, he thought.  “I, um--!  I’m--!  I dunno what I--!  I’m--!  Sorry?!” he babbled.  “I--!  You know what?!  I gotta use the restroom!  Uh, see you in class…?!”  

Marinette just blinked at him, struck dumb by his alien antics.

...If he gently took hold of her waist and pulled her in close, would she tilt her head back and expose her throat to him when she felt his breath on her neck?  What soft, lovely sounds could he draw from her, sprinkling cat-kisses _all over_ her neck and exploring the soft, _soft_ skin of her body with reverent hands...?

Aaaaaaaaand now he could feel a boner coming on...faaaaaaaantastic.

So Adrien just made a break for it.

 _Whyyy?!  Chat Noir, why are you like this?!_ he berated himself.   _Maybe you can’t see Ladybug as often as you want, and maybe Marinette_ is _adorable and beautiful, but that doesn’t mean you can start trying to claim Marinette, too!!_

~

The bell for homeroom rang ten, maybe twenty seconds after Adrien disappeared around the corner.  Marinette had been startled out of her stupor, but her brain continued to play only a endless stream of question marks in a single tone reminiscent of a dial tone.  She walked to her classroom and sat down in her usual seat without even realizing that Alya and Nino were already there.  Nino twisted around in his seat to watch as Alya rounded on her.

“Well?!” she stage-whispered excitedly.  “How’d it go after we left?!  Tell me _all_ about it!”

Marinette blinked, staring blankly at the desktop.

“I...I think _I’m_ still trying to figure out what happened, honestly…” she said distantly.

Alya exchanged baffled looks with Nino, but didn’t have time to start the interrogation as the teacher walked in.  Adrien came in right after him, walking stiffly as if he were in a marching band, with a phony smile stuck on his face, and clearly trying to look normal when he was feeling anything but.

Marinette had no idea what to make of it.

Her heart was still racing as she mentally replayed her interaction with Adrien again and again.  She didn’t know what she had expected to happen in the hallway--for Adrien to react the way Alya said he would had just seemed too good to be likely--but she _definitely_ hadn’t expected him to notice her freckles for the first time and stare at them like he had never seen freckles before in his life. And then, when he had actually caught sight of her bare collar and shoulders…

 _The way he was staring at me, it’s like he was...hypnotised!_ she thought.   _And...was I imagining it, or did I actually see...longing in his eyes?_

She had no idea when she had developed this knack for reading Adrien’s body language, but she couldn’t be completely crazy, because whatever she had sensed from him was having _very_ real effects on her.

 _He was so close...I wanted to kiss him so bad…!  I swear, I could practically_ feel _sparks flying between us...!  Well, at least in me!_

Of course, she _hadn’t_ gone for it, because they were in the middle of the school’s main hallway, and she hadn’t _completely_ forgotten that, but...that _want_ remained, and the way he had looked at _her_ almost made her believe that the same urge had crossed his mind, too.  

But even if she couldn’t label whatever it it was he was thinking or feeling when he looked at her like that, she wanted _very_ much to _know_ what it was, to _see_ it unleashed instead of hidden behind his eyes… She had caught herself wondering if she could coax it out of him with her touch… If she ran her hands up his chest or wrapped her arms around him, would he reciprocate, and take her into his arms and touch her...other ways?

The more she thought about it now, staring at the back of his head, the more she found herself squeezing her thighs together and crossing and recrossing her legs against the throbs of lust she was still feeling.  She could feel wetness gathering between her thighs, and wondeered how much of it was due to her heat.

Not only that, but her wistful imaginings of having Adrien’s arms wrapped around her wouldn’t leave her alone, no matter how hard she tried to concentrate on lecture, and she swore she was starting to feel that ache for intimate touch settling deep into her skin.  It didn’t occur to her to question how strange it this to come on _now_ , of all times, because, in her mind, when had she ever _not_ wanted to share a loving embrace with the boy she loved?

The big difference was, now she couldn’t stop wishing they were locked in a closet together at that very moment...preferably in an alternate dimension where they wouldn’t they get caught.

 _Of course, Adrien doesn’t seem like the type to risk his good image to make out with a girl in a closet at school,_ Marinette admitted to herself good-humoredly, _but someday, we’ll be the type of couple who enjoys a good make-out session whenever the mood strikes us--in appropriate settings, of course!_

Marinette grinned and giggled under her breath, gazing dreamily into space.  Alya glanced sideways at her twitterpated best friend for the twentieth time that day and tried not to burst out laughing at Marinette’s expression.

 _This girl has no idea how obvious she is…_ she thought, hiding a snicker behind her textbook.   _If Adrien could catch her looking at him with THAT face just once, he’d totally catch on to how hot for him she is!  But now we’ve got a boy both in love AND in denial to make things interesting!_

 ~

At the end of Biology class, Mme. Gaucher brought up the research project that Nino had brought up and that had somehow completely slipped Adrien’s mind.

“Alright, everyone, listen up!” she called cheerily, smiling warmly at the class.  “Today you’re all going to get put into your groups for your first research project, and those of you who don’t have sports after lunch get to go meet with your partners in the library to pick your topics and start gathering source material!”

“I wish she wouldn’t make it sound like a trip to Disneyland,” Nino whispered to Adrien out of the corner of his mouth.

Adrien made a mumbling, almost whimpering noise in response, struggling to pay attention.  Nino turned to look at Adrien and frowned in concern, but he couldn’t catch Adrien’s eye.

Adrien had been battling Marinette-centered fantasies and an on-and-off _hard-on_ since the bell had rung for first period.  He felt like his body was _malfunctioning_ on him, and he couldn’t even know if it was his heat or not that was to blame for it all, because Ladybug wasn’t any part of this scenario.

 _I’m a mess…_ he thought, feeling like his sanity was starting to slip away bit by tiny bit.   _I’m a mess, and my kwami can’t even tell me why…_

“So, without further ado!”  Mme. Goucher whipped out a sheet a paper which no doubt held the students names in their groups.

 _I have to hope I don’t end up in a group with Marinette,_ Adrien thought glumly.   _I don’t know what could happen if we have to spend even more time around each other._

“Group number one will be:  Alya, Claire, and Elise!”

Somewhere behind him, Adrien heard the sound of a high-five and two girls making sounds of pleasant suprise.  He guessed they were close friends who were excited to be in a group together.

“Group number two will be:  Chloe, Felicienne, and Marinette!”

Adrien stared at the teacher as his mouth fell open in dismay.  Twisting in his seat to look at Chloe on the other side of the classroom, he saw her stand up and raise her hand, the sneer on on her face foretelling some prissy protesting to come.

“Madame Gaucher!” she said loudly, “Marinette and I have been in the same class _many times_ before, and she is _impossible_ for me to work with!  I _urge_ you _not_ to put us in the same group!”

Adrien frowned, then craned his neck to look behind him at Marinette.

Big mistake.

When Marinette--who was glaring at Chloe and possibly about to speak up--happened to glance at Adrien, her expression cleared and their eyes locked.  It was as if time skidded right to a halt.  

A strange sensation ran slowly up his back, like a shiver, but lingering there, under his skin, instead of dissipating like a shiver he might get from feeling cold.  In the moment, he barely noticed it, because at the same time, that desire to steal close to Marinette and scoop her up into his arms crept over him again...much _more_ than just a stubborn urge, but a deep, pervasive _longing_ .  He actually felt himself shift his weight as if he was about to get out of his seat, and only managed to rein himself in just in time.  The way she was looking at him, he felt like she was looking _into_ him, seeing the Black Cat hiding in plain sight and just _waiting_ for him to come to her...and somehow, he just felt so _sure_ that if he slipped into her arms, he would find what he had been _longing_ to find all this time...only he had no idea what that something was.

“Adrien, is there something you’d like to Marinette to hear?”

Mme. Goucher’s voice shattered Adrien’s trance like a whip to the face, and he yelped aloud and jumped in his seat.

“UH!  Uh, no, Madame, sorry, I was just--!  I was--!”  Rattled at he was, Adrien was drawing a blank.  How was he going to get out of this?!

“Mme. Gaucher, you could switch Marinette with Adrien!” Chloe cut in brightly.  “Adrien and I are _best friends_ and we’d work _really well_ together!”

“We _all_ have to work with people we don’t get along with sometimes, Chloe,” Mme. Gaucher said in her overly-maternal, no-nonsense voice.  “You won’t be able to avoid it in university, and you’ll do it all the time in your working life, too!  The sooner you start practicing, the better!”

Chloe scowled, and flumped back down in her seat, crossing both her legs _and_ her arms, as if to  display the maximum amount of displeasure possible.

 _Again, why does she hate Marinette so much?_  Adrien wondered glumly.   _Marinette gets along with everyone else I’ve ever seen her interact with!  Everyone likes her!_

Adrien twisted back around in his seat to look up at Marinette again.

Marinette had to resist the urge to swoon.

Those were _kitten eyes_ Adrien was giving her, and Marinette considered it a miracle she hadn’t dissolved into a puddle of goo in their wake.  But _why_ was he looking at her like that?  

 _What is going through this boy’s head?_ she wondered.

“Alright, now let’s all pay attention, okay?” Mme. Gaucher said loudly, causing Marinette to jump and Adrien to whip back around in his seat.  “You’ll all be out of here soon!”

Adrien ran his fingers through his hair restlessly.  Even after rubbing at the itch, however, the strange sensation remained.  He scratched his head again, but it didn’t help.  And then he noticed that his whole back was starting to crawl. Adrien hunched his shoulders and held his head in his hands in dismay.

“Dude, are you feeling okay?” Nino asked, leaning in again to whisper to Adrien.

Adrien had no idea how to respond.  He couldn’t exactly bring up the fact that he was going through his _mating cycle_ with _Ladybug_ , and besides, he didn’t even know whether his heat had anything to do with whatever was wrong with him!  Even if he left all of that out, How was he supposed to explain what was going on with him?   _He_ didn’t even know because even his _kwami_ didn’t seem to know!

 _WHY can’t Plagg tell me what’s wrong with me?_ he wondered again, bewildered.   _Is it my heat, or isn’t it?!  Why can’t I keep it together around Marinette?!  If I was...really in love with her…_ His mind reeled at the thought.   _That’s no reason for me to completely lose it like this!!  But there’s no reason my heat should be acting up around anybody but Ladybug, either!!  And if Plagg really can’t figure it out...what am I gonna do?!  What’s going to HAPPEN to me?!_

“I...don’t know _what’s_ going on with me,” he finally said.  Nino wasn’t expecting that, and seemed to not know how to respond..

“Group three will be Adrien, Fleur, and Lysandre!”

Adrien barely registered the sound of his name; he rubbed the back of his neck, and then ran his fingers through his hair again.  Still, he found no relief from the tingling, crawling sensation he was now feeling from the top of his head to the base of his spine.  It took almost all his self-control to not start writhing in his seat and scratching at his back; he clenched his jaw and tucked his hands under his knees.  It was getting difficult to keep his breathing slow and even.  And then it hit him, and he started to panic a little:

 _Oh no...this is the “itch” coming on, isn’t it?!_  His eyes widened in horror as he stared blankly at the desktop.   _I can’t do anything about it; only Ladybug can make it go away...oh, man, how long am I gonna have to endure this?  How much worse is it going to get?!  It’s subtle enough now that MAYBE I could get used to it JUST enough to ignore it, so that nobody else notices me acting weird, but...later?  I don’t even know if I’ll be able to sleep at night!_

(“Group four will be Henri, Philippe, and Rose!”)

Then he thought of Ladybug.

_I wonder if Ladybug’s feeling miserable right now, too...I wish I could talk to her, to see how she’s doing, but we can’t go on patrols or call each other at all...Are we really going to just have to wait this out?  What’s going to happen the next time someone’s akumatized?_

(“Group five will be Armin, Juleka, and Nino!”)

 _I really hate to admit it, but…I feel like we’re already doomed at this point,_ Adrien thought.   _This “itch” is already starting to drive me crazy, and I haven’t even been dealing with it for a day!  And Ladybug’s almost definitely started to experience whatever her counterpart to my itching is, and I bet she’s about as miserable as I am right now...unless hers works differently from mine.  Still...I just can’t imagine us being able to keep ourselves from giving in and trying to comfort each other.  By the time we see each other again...even if it’s as soon as later today, our symptoms are just getting to be too much to ignore._

“And...that’s it!” Mme. Goucher finally announced.  “You’re all free to go!”  

 _Thank goodness…_ Adrien thought.   _Maybe fencing will take my mind off this itching, and then I can ask Plagg about what to do about all this during lunch.  I hope he can be more helpful this time!_

He busied himself with putting his textbook and tablet away as quickly as he could so that he could leave the classroom  before Marinette passed by him on her way out.  He could _not_ afford to let himself get distracted by her again, because _who knew_ what he might do then!

“Has Madame Gaucher made you late for fencing class?” Nino asked with a laugh.

“Uh, yeah, a little!”  Adrien replied without looking up.  “Well, actually, she might not have taken so long if Chloe hadn’t interrupted…”

“Heh, good point!” Nino chuckled, putting his own things away.  “Well, I’m off to meet my group in the library!  See you after lunch.”

“Yeah!  See ya!”  Nino stood up and clapped Adrien on the shoulder as he turned and headed out.  Adrien shouldered his own bag and took a deep breath as he got to his feet.

 _Okay, keep your eyes on the door, and just walk straight out!_ he thought to himself.   _Whatever you do, do NOT look behind you at Marinette!_

Somehow, amidst the clamor of twenty students all shoving school supplies into bags and filing out, he distinctly recognized the sounds of _Marinette_ packing up her things and _Marinette_ getting up from her seat, and if Adrien hadn’t already started walking, he wouldn’t have been able to resist the impulse to stay where he was…

Adrien forced himself to keep walking, exiting the classroom and heading for the gym, even as his imagination played out possible scenarios for what might have happened if he had let Marinette come to him...

_He gathered her up in his arms and held her close, nuzzling the side of her face with his cheek and breathing in her sweet scent.  She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back, and she sighed happily as they soaked up each other’s warmth…_

_She raised her head from where she had been resting it against his chest and gazed up at him, craning her neck...instinctively, he leaned down until his lips met hers halfway in warm, lingering kiss..._

Adrien clenched his jaw against another shiver that ran down his spine.

 _Where is my heat-addled brain coming up with daydreams like this?_ he thought, shaking his head in dismay.   _There are exactly zero reasons that Marinette would come up to me and just hug me out of nowhere!  Although I feel like a hug would feel really nice right now…but, anyway!  Kissing Marinette is also OUT OF THE QUESTION!  I am in LOVE with Ladybug, I am LOYAL to Ladybug, and Marinette is JUST a really good friend!!  Even if she IS super-sweet, and...really pretty...oh my god, pull yourself together, Adrien!_

But it wasn’t until he reached the boys’ locker room that Adrien’s environment became stimulating enough to distract him from his thoughts.  Changing into his fencing uniform did nothing to affect the itching sensation; it felt like the irritation was _under_ his skin instead of on the surface.  It continued to nag at him until he started to work up a sweat, finally dulling slightly so that it was barely noticeable as he concentrated on sparring.  It was incredibly relieving to know that physical exertion granted him a temporary respite from this, too, in addition to his intrusive thoughts.

 _I wonder if this means that this thing for Marinette really does have something to do with my mating cycle…_ he mused as he rode home for lunch an hour and half later.   _Then again, concentrating on my performance in a sport properly would theoretically help take my mind off anything.  Otherwise, I just wouldn’t do very well.  I guess Plagg is still my only reliable source of information._

~

Adrien brought his lunch upstairs to his room so that he could talk to his kwami as soon as possible, and he made sure Plagg was given his own lunch of Camembert.

“Plagg, I’m pretty sure the ‘itch’ just dropped on me while I was in class this morning,” Adrien began as Plagg swallowed his cheese.  “Is there anything I need to know about it that you haven’t already told me?”

“Not really,” Plagg said unconcernedly.  “Your body’s literally craving Ladybug’s touch, and you instinctively want her to pet you like the cat you half are.  It’ll gradually get worse the longer you go without pets from Ladybug, which will help you feel better, but of course, the more time you spend with Ladybug, the faster your symptoms progress, so you kind of just have to choose whether you’d rather grin and bear it to minimize the intensity of your future symptoms or beg for relief and hope you two don’t lose your minds later.”

“Right…”  Adrien took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully.  “I noticed that I seemed to feel better while I was in fencing class, though,” he said, swallowing.  “It’s back now,” he added, rolling his shoulders with a wince, “But does the physical activity help, like it does with the...thoughts?”

“Not really,” Plagg said, settling down on Adrien’s desktop.  “Not in the same way Ladybug’s touch would, anyway.  It’s just while your body is in battle-mode, your symptoms get overridden by the adrenaline so that they don’t distract you and make you vulnerable, remember?”

“Oh, right...yeah, that makes sense…”  Another bite.  “So...the next time I have a mission with Ladybug, she’ll be suffering from whatever her version of this is, right?  What’s...it like?”

“Yup.  Supposedly, it’s like body aches, but more subtle.  It makes her crave your touch, just like you crave hers, but just like being pet like a cat will have the greatest effect on you, there’ll be a ‘special touch’ or two that’ll work best on Ladybug.  You can ask her to tell you about it if you want, since her kwami will probably have told her about it.”

“Body aches...like from a fever?  That sounds awful!”

“No better or worse than your itching,” Plagg said neutrally, shrugging.  

Another bite.  Adrien frowned sadly at the thought of Ladybug in discomfort, and again, he wondered:  if he found Ladybug suffering from being apart from him, and his touch was the only thing that could make her feel better, what could he possibly do but do everything in his power to comfort her?  The way he saw it, his reason for existing was to fight by her side and love her unconditionally with every fiber of his being, and so _not_ tending to his Lady’s needs went against every one of his basic instincts!  But if giving in would end up making things worse for both of them in the long run…

“If Hawk Moth keeps up his current activity rate, and I end up meeting Ladybug about every three days, exactly how much worse will our symptoms get over time if we...uh…”  Adrien rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.  “If we were to...you know...hang around?”  He started scratching at his scalp almost absentmindedly against the still-lingering itch as he stared at Plagg nervously.

“You mean if you two were to keep making out after every mission, like you’ve been doing this whole time?” Plagg asked dully.  

Adrien hunched his shoulders defensively as he blushed, and he suddenly lost the ability to look Plagg in the eye; more than enough of an answer for Plagg.

“Well...the thing is, it’s hard for me to say.  Spending, say, an hour with Ladybug every three days wouldn’t be bad at all...we would expect the ‘itch’ to start coming on sometime during the third week, and, with a decent amount of self-control, you’d be able to behave normally out in public up until about...right after the fourth and final week begins.  Now, what problem do you notice with this scenario?”

Adrien stared blankly at Plagg for a moment, pondering the details and coming up with nothing.  Then, it finally hit him, and his eyes widened.

“...that scenario is exactly what’s been happening this whole time.” he said.  “...but I’m less than two weeks in, and I already have the ‘itch’...Plagg, I’m...my heat is progressing about _twice as fast_ as you said it would!”

Plagg nodded grimly.

“But…!  Plagg, what does this _mean?!_ ” Adrien asked anxiously, his half-eaten sandwich lying forgotten on his desk.  

“It _suggests_ that you two are spending _a lot_ more time together than three or four hours a week, but I know you haven’t transformed into Chat Noir more often than that, and we can assume Ladybug’s not sneaking into your room to watch you sleep or something, since she she doesn’t know where you live…”

“Well, she knows where _Adrien Agreste_ lives, but she doesn’t have any reason to stalk _Adrien_ , right?  Eh heh heh…!”  Adrien chuckled nervously, and Plagg frowned at him in disgust.

“Oh, but wouldn’t you love it if she did!” Plagg grumped.  “Anyway,” he continued, “If it’s not you two, then...maybe it has something to do with your super-high compatibility?  Maybe you two are  just super-sensitive to each other?”

“That’s gotta be it,” Adrien said instantly, staring into space with a gooey smile on his face.  “There’s so much natural chemistry between us, we can barely take the _heat!_ ”  He snickered at his own pun.

“Hang on, lover-boy, we’re not done talking!”  Plagg rose up into the air to level himself with Adrien’s line of sight.  “I find it puzzling that you noticed the ‘itch’ come on while you were at school.  You’re sure you weren’t feeling it at all this morning before you left?”

“No, I was fine until…”  Adrien paused, brow furrowed, thinking back.  “It hit me after biology, while the teacher was assigning us into project groups.  I had just turned to look at Marinette, and then I felt the first ‘itch’ sort of crawl down my back...The rest of it just started piling up right after that.”  He looked up at Plagg again.  “Why, are you thinking something triggered it?  I don’t remember you telling me it worked like that. ”

Plagg shook his head.

“It doesn’t, really,”  he said, bringing a paw to his chin thoughtfully.  “But depending on the timing, it can either hit you all at once--usually while you’re with Ladybug--but most of the time, it builds up slowly and gradually the longer you’re _away_ from Ladybug...but it hit _you_ just as you were looking at Marinette, which I find _very_ interesting…”  He looked up at Adrien with a sly smile now on his face.  “And you’re still pining after her, right?”

Adrien groaned in frustration.

“I am _not_ pining!” he protested, scratching at his scalp with both hands (in vain).  “If I’m pining after anyone, it’s Ladybug!  Marinette I see almost everyday!”  He stopped scratching and scowled at Plagg.  “And anyway, I thought you said I couldn’t blame my heat for what I feel when I’m around Marinette!  Do you…”  His shoulders slumped hopelessly and he stared at Plagg imploringly.  “Do you know what’s going on with me, or not?”

Plagg blinked, then heaved a sigh before bringing himself closer to Adrien’s face.

“I’m not going to lie; your mating cycle has been probably the fastest-advancing I’ve ever seen--”

“Are you serious?” Adrien asked softly, his mouth hanging slightly open.

“Yup, but you know, I’ve got this feeling that this isn’t a bad thing.  I didn’t tell you not to blame your heat for your girl-troubles because I knew there wasn’t any connection; there’s no way I _can_ know that for sure, because this has never happened before!  I think you’re forgetting something…”  Plagg floated backwards and crossed his arms.  “ _The mating cycle doesn’t change how you really feel._ ”

Adrien just stared back for a moment, stunned speechless.

“You’re saying...my heat _could_ be affecting how I feel _physically_ when I’m around her, but...it has nothing to do with how I feel _about_ her?  That maybe it _is_ making me into a hormonal disaster around her, but that my feelings for her are all my own?”

Plagg nodded sagely.

“There’s something else I thought of:  if falling in love with Marinette would hurt your chances of mating with Ladybug, then why would your heat flare up when you’re with Marinette at all?  Who knows...maybe this is an auspicious sign.”

“You...you think so?” Adrien asked, hesitant but hopeful.  “You think I should just...trust my instincts?   _All_ my instincts?”

“Sure beats fighting with yourself, doesn’t it?” Plagg remarked with a shrug, smirking.

Adrien smiled gratefully.

“Thanks, Plagg.  I hope you’re right.”

“Of course I am,” Plagg scoffed.  “I am clever and wise and awe-inspiring!”

Adrien chuckled as he checked the time on his phone.  

“Whoops!  I gotta head back to class!”

Plagg watched Adrien scramble to clean up the remains of his sandwich and gather the textbooks he would need for the rest of the day’s classes.  He also took off his sweater to change his shirt, since he hadn’t left himself enough time to shower after fencing.

 _I don’t know whether to be relieved or not that he still hasn’t figured it out,_ Plagg thought.   _He wouldn’t have to worry about loving two girls at once anymore, but...maybe he needs more time to figure out what loving them really means._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know many readers--myself included--are naturally wary and suspicious of original characters because they too many of them end up stealing the spotlight form the canon characters, but don't worry: all the new classmates named in this chapter exist pretty much only to put bodies in seats in the classroom, because it didn't seem realistic for Marinette and Adrien's high school classes to have the exact same people as their middle school classes did. The characters Claire, Elise, Felicienne, Fleur, and Lysandre--who will be in Marinette's, Adrien's and Alya's groups--will be introduced in the next chapter, but rest assured, they're only here in this story to contribute to some fun future interactions, and will hold next-to-no influence on the plot! I just thought it would be fun to have some new girls for Marinette, Adrien, and Alya to talk to about love, dating, and Ladybug and Chat Noir (and how good a catch Chat Noir obviously is)!


	13. She Blinded Me With Science

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette meets up with her project group: Chloé, who, of course, hopes to not do any work; and Felicienne, a cat-lover with zero patience for bad attitude. Marinette realizes that this project could be a very convenient way to study feline tendencies, and so she and Felicienne decide to save arguing with Chloé for another day. During her lunch break, Marinette re-reads the entry in her diary telling the story of her first (and second) kiss with Chat Noir, and does her best to release the pent-up sexual frustration she's been carrying around all morning. To her dismay, it seems that orgasms won't be quite enough to fully relieve her any more when it's Chat Noir's touch her body craves.

_Wednesday_

On their way to the library with about a dozen fellow classmates, Marinette and Alya hung back to bring up the rear of the group so that they could talk more-or-less privately.  Most of the other kids were holding their own conversations with each other, and Chloé appeared to be too preoccupied with her dissatisfaction with her current situation to care what Marinette might be discussing with her best friend in confidence, and so Marinette took the opportunity to give Alya the abridged version of what had happened between her and Adrien in the hallway.

"...he just _stared_ at my face, like he had never seen freckles before!" Marinette whispered, blushing at the memory of his face coming so close to hers.  "He seemed so _relaxed_ , like it was totally normal, but at the same time...his _eyes_ were so..." She trailed off, remembering the powerful urge to kiss him she had felt when their eyes met.  "...Ugh, this is gonna sound crazy--it sounds crazy even to _me!_ \--but, I swear I saw...something like _longing_ in his eyes...like, you know how they talk about 'heated’ gazes in romance novels, or whatever?  That’s _exactly_ what it felt like!"

"Have you ever seen a ‘heated gaze’ in real life before, though?" Alya whispered, sounding intrigued.

"No, but we’ve both seen it in movies lots of times, right?  You know what I’m talking about?  How their expressions go all...soft but hyper-focused right before they move in for the kiss?"

" _Adrien_ was looking at you like _that?_ " Alya hissed, sounding about as mind-blown as Marinette was.

"I... _yeah, he was!_  Oh my god, he _really was!_  And I wanted to kiss him _so bad_ , but we were in the _middle of the hallway_ …!"

"No, yeah, I get it, but go on, what happened then?!" Alya whispered excitedly all in one breath.

"He...he seemed to suddenly snap out of...something, and he back-peddled, just like he’s done before, and then he just...bolted for the restroom!  Do you think he was doing what you said he’s been doing:  coming on a bit too strong and then panicking?"

"Yeah, I bet you that’s exactly what happened!  I mean, he might not have been _consciously_ trying to hit on you, but he noticed something about you that he hadn’t before, and because he likes you, it felt like a special discovery to him.  Like...how would you feel if you discovered something new about _Adrien_ like that?  Like a freckle or beauty mark on _him_ somewhere?"

Marinette pressed her lips together against the giddy smile that instantly stretched across her face.  She failed to completely muffle her giddy squeal, which was more than enough answer for Alya.

"Exactly!  And so that’s probably how _Adrien_ felt!" Alya grinned as Marinette gasped in her excitement.

"Oh my gosh…!  Do you think…?!  Do you think he wanted to kiss _me_ , too?!" she whispered breathlessly.

"You were probably looking at _him_ the same way _he_ was looking at _you_ if you wanted to kiss him, so, yeah, maybe he did!"

"Oh god, I feel like I’m gonna faint…!"  Marinette clutched at her own heart.

"Can’t faint yet, girl:  I have to meet with my group, and you have to meet with yours--with _Chloé--_ so you’re going to need your wits about you!"  Alya clapped Marinette on the shoulder sympathetically.

"Lucky me…"  Marinette grumbled, slouching dramatically.  

Ms. Goucher was waiting in the library for the class to arrive.  She gave each of them an index card with a number on to help them find and meet up with the other members of their groups.

"Okay!  I’m off to meet up with my fellow ones!" Alya said, gesturing with her card.  "Good luck with Chloé!"

Marinette sent Alya off with a gloomy wave back, and then took her card from Mme. Goucher:  it had a number two on it.

 _As much as I’m DREADING having to do a group project dealing with Chloé the whole time,_ Marinette thought, _Hopefully I can keep her from sabotaging our grade, even if I can’t get her to do her fair share of the work.  At least I’ve learned how to not let her get to me (well, most of the time); most of the other kids in our class probably haven’t had to deal with her before, and I’d hate for her to end up in a group with somebody who’s easy to bully, like Rose._

Marinette heaved a sigh and started wandering the library, holding up her card facing outward so that her other group member (she hadn’t remembered their name) could find her.

_I REALLY don’t want to, but I’d better find Chloé first, if I can.  If she’s left alone for too long, she might try to bully someone else into trading group number cards with her...good thing Adrien isn’t here for her to bother, at least._

Marinette searched the library until she spotted Chloé by her blonde ponytail and designer handbag.  She was standing in the middle of an aisle texting on her phone with an annoyed scowl on her face.  Marinette would have been willing to bet that she was trying to shove her share of the workload onto Sabrina, even though the two of them were now in different classes.

_Ugh, she’ll never change..._

Marinette approached Chloé and cleared her throat loudly.  Chloé looked up and sneered in that familiar snooty way she always did.

“Oh, what do _you_ want?  Don’t tell me you’re _actually_ going to try to make me help you with this project!”  She tossed her ponytail haughtily.  “It’s ridiculous!  It’s _juvenile_ !  We’re in _lycée_ now!   _Why_ am I being forced to prove I know how to do _research_ for a _science project?!_  This class is a _complete waste of my time!_ ”

Any other time, Marinette would have rolled her eyes at Chloé’s poor attitude and sense of entitlement, but this time, she winced slightly, because Chloé was far from the only one who not-so-secretly thought Mme. Goucher’s teaching methods felt like an insult to their intelligence.  Nevertheless, Marinette felt confident in assuming that Chloé’s reasons for not wanting to pull her weight on this group project were the same ones as for every other homework assignment she’d ever been given.  She knew for a fact that Sabrina had been doing all of Chloé’s homework for her since grade school.

“Honestly...” Marinette said, “I can’t answer for the rest of us, but if Sabrina’s really been doing all of your homework for you since you could read and write, maybe you _should_ prove you can do research and collaborate on a project, since you’ve probably never done it by yourself before!”

“ _I_ won’t be _doing research_ as part of my career!  That’s what secretaries are for!” Chloé snapped, gesturing dismissively.  “ _I_ will be making bigger, more important decisions...like what _other_ have to do, and where all the money goes!”  She patted her ponytail haughtily and smirked.  

“Ooookay…”  Marinette drawled, rolling her eyes.  She crossed her arms.  “Well, until then, we’re still in school, and we’re stuck with this project, so let’s just get this over with, okay?”   

“Don’t expect me to be at your beck and call!” Chloé snapped, bending forward and pointing a warning finger at Marinette.  “You can do what you want with this project, but I’m _not_ gonna be your little _study-buddy_ , got it?”

“First of all, this a group project, not a study session, so you’ll do your fair share of the work with us if you care about your grade,” Marinette said, struggling a little bit to contain her mounting frustration.  “Second of all, this isn’t just about you and me being stuck together; we have a third group member, and we’re supposed to be meeting up with her right now so we can pick our topic and start planning our research...and if Madame Gaucher sees us not working on our worksheets, she’s going to be all over us, and we _reeeeeeeeally_ don’t want that, right?”

“Ugh, no!”  Chloé sneered.  “If that woman so much as _breathes on me_ , I will have her fired!”

Marinette took a brief moment to gaze heavenward and wonder what she had done in her past life to be cursed with Chloé Bourgeois.

“Let’s just go find…!  I forgot her name…”  Marinette turned around and held her card aloft again.  “Our third group member.”

“Great, you go look for her _that_ way, and _I’ll_ go _this way!_ ”  Chloé made to go around the corner of the bookcase in the opposite direction, but Marinette moved quickly to cut her off.

“Nope!  We’re going together!”  Grimacing, Marinette reluctantly grabbed Chloé by the arm and started dragging her along.  “I don’t trust you not to sneak off and ditch us!”

“Hey!  What are you--?!  Don’t touch me!!”  Chloé tried to haul herself in the opposite direction, throwing her weight forward and tugging against Marinette’s grip on her arm, but she didn’t seem willing to put up more of a fight than that.  She wasn’t the kind of person to start an all-out catfight, Marinette knew, because god forbid she got a hair out of place or wrinkle her designer clothes.  As Chloé continued to put on her display of indignant reluctance, Marinette continued to pull her along as she held her card in the air with her other hand and kept her eyes peeled for anyone holding the same number.  Before too long, a girl with her hair in a black ponytail and a jacket with cats printed on it hurried over, holding her own card with a number two on it.

“There you are!” she said with a friendly smile.  “I’m glad I found you!  You’re both in group two, with me, right?”  She glanced between Marinette and Chloé expectantly.

“Yeah!” Marinette nodded, immediately smiling politely and letting go of Chloé’s arm.  She raised her hand in a friendly greeting.  “I’m Marinette!  I forgot your name, sorry...” she added apologetically.

“That’s okay,” the girl replied, smiling back.  “I’m Felicienne.  And you’re...Chloé, right?” she added, turning to Chloé, who sniffed and patted her hair haughtily.

“Chloé _Bourgeois!_ ” she corrected, looking mildly insulted.  “I’m the mayor’s daughter, I thought _everyone_ knew that!”

Marinette rolled her eyes as Felicienne looked slightly confused and taken aback by Chloé’s attitude.

“O...kay…?” she replied warily, raising one eyebrow.  “But...I got your _first_ name right, right?”

“But you didn’t _recognize_ me,” Chloé said, like her reaction was only to be expected.  “So I can only assume you haven’t lived in Paris very long, if you don’t recognize me and my name!”

 _Ugh, I don’t want to have to DEAL with her!_ Marinette inwardly groaned.   _If we have to put up with THIS the WHOLE TIME…!_

Felicienne frowned, clearly starting to see the kind of annoyance Chloé was going to be as well.

“Um...first of all, Madame Goucher called us all by our first names only, so I had no idea what your last name was,” Felicienne pointed out.  “And second of all, I don’t pay much attention to politics, so I didn’t even know anything about our mayor’s family.”  She squinted at Chloé critically, clearly trying to figure out what her problem was, but Marinette knew from experience that trying to apply logic to Chloé’s behavior was a hopeless waste of energy.

“Uh, Chloé’s used to having classes with a lot of the same people through _collége_ , so she’s used to thinking we all know her!” Marinette piped up with an exaggerated false cheeriness.  She turned to Chloé and beamed at her.  “Don’t worry Chloé, the whole class will...get to know you soon enough!”   _Like what an insufferable PEST you are…_ she added in her head.

“Right…”  Felicienne glanced between Chloé and Marinette, appearing to size up the dynamic between them, and from her dubious expression, Marinette guessed she came to a fairly correct conclusion or two.  “Well, let’s go sit down and get started on those assignment sheets; it’s already been, like, fifteen minutes since we all came in, and we’ve only got until the end of period.”

“Yes!  Great idea!  Let’s!” Marinette chirped.  She followed Felicienne as she lead them to an empty reading table, Chloé trailing behind Marinette looking like she would rather be anywhere but here.  

“Your socks are so cute!” Marinette remarked on Felicienne’s knee-highs, which were beige with a pattern of white paw prints on them and a tiny, plush cat face sewn at the top of each one.  She noticed also that Felicienne’s high-top sneakers were patterned with leopard spots.  Combined with her feline-covered jacket, it was easy to guess what her favorite animal was.  “I like your jacket, too.  I’m...guessing you really love cats?”

“Oh, thanks!” Felicienne replied, sitting down and tucking her school bag under the desk.  “Yeah, I do. I’ve grown up having cats in the family my whole life, so now I can’t live without them!”  She giggled.  “I volunteer at the animal shelter on weekends, and we have three cats at home, too.”

“Aww!” Marinette cooed.  “I would love to adopt a pet or two or three someday, but I sew and work with arts and crafts all the time, and my parents run a bakery, so it never seemed like a good idea...”

As an animal lover herself, Marinette could easily imagine how nice it would be to have a cat or two around all the time, but she knew very well from personal experience that cats had a tendency to get into mischief; not only had she rescued a fair few pet cats from high places, she had a superhero partner who sometimes bit off more than he could chew, just like his namesake.   

 _And now that he’s in heat, he’s going to be acting even more like a cat than usual,_ she remembered.   _He’s already gained the ability to purr, and...the urge to lick me and love-bite me…!_  

Marinette felt her face heat up and her heart flutter as she recalled the sensation of Chat Noir’s teeth scraping against her skin.  She squeezed her thighs together briefly against the throb of arousal between her legs, but this only seemed to heighten her sensitivity to it. She gave herself a little shake, reminding herself that this was _not_ a good time to fantasize about Chat Noir:  she was sitting at a table with her _arch nemesis_ and needed all her wits about her if she wanted to get through this assignment.  Still, she couldn’t help but smile as she allowed herself to think back to the the sound of Chat Noir’s purr rumbling in his chest.

 _Maybe it’s partly because I’m in heat, too,_ she thought, _but so far, none of his new kitty-quirks have bothered me...they’ve either been really cute, or…_ arousing, _actually, if I’m being honest with myself!  Of course, once he’s able to smell my...ugh, my_ wetness _(!!_ __)_...things will probably get really awkward for both of us...  Other than that, though...I wonder what other cat-like tendencies Chat Noir will pick up?  I can’t help but be curious! _

“Ugh, cats are too much trouble!” Chloé was saying (as always, she felt the need make every conversation about her).  “They leave their loose fur everywhere, and they scratch the furniture!  Everything in my room is _way_ too expensive and fancy to let an _animal_ sit on!”

Jolted out of her musings, Marinette scowled at Chloé, and Felicienne’s lips were pressed together into a thin line as she eyed Chloé with poorly-concealed distaste.

 _Is Chloé just...determined to make everyone hate her, or something?_   Marinette wondered, not for for the first time by a long shot.

“Well...if you brush your cat every day, it’ll leave a _lot_ less loose fur around, and that’s also what lint-rollers and vacuum cleaners are for,” Felicienne said dryly.  “And cats _have_ to scratch, it’s instinct.  It keeps their claws sharp and stretches their muscles, and they do it to mark their territory, too.  You just have to give them a scratching post or two and a scratching block or pad on the floor or two, and train them to use those instead.”

“There you go:  Too much trouble!” Chloé shot back haughtily.  Leaning over, she dug her phone out of her bag again and promptly buried her nose in it.  

“What are doing?!” Felicienne demanded.  “We have work to do!  Look, it’s fine if you don’t like cats, but don’t just ditch us!  We have to brainstorm for topics, and--and--!”

“Don’t even bother, she’s always been like this,” Marinette interjected, rolling her eyes.  Lifting up her chair by the seat underneath her, Marinette scooted around the corner of the table to sit closer to Felicienne.  Lowering her voice, she leaned closer and added, “We’ll just brainstorm without her, and if she doesn’t like our topic, tough, she’ll just have to deal with it.”

Felicienne pursed her lips, her brow still furrowed.  No doubt she was just as averse as Marinette was to letting Chloé get off easy, but to try any harder to get Chloé to do what they wanted would be a waste of effort at best, and kicking a hornet’s nest at worst.  

“Brainstorming is one thing…” Felicienne finally muttered, leaning over to talk to Marinette, “But once it’s time to actually start researching, and planning, and prewriting...that’s just gonna mean more work for us!”

“I know, but if Chloé actually participated, we’d have to consider her input on everything,” Marinette muttered back, “And trust me, we don’t really want her input, it’ll just slow us down.”

Felicienne frowed, glancing at Chloé briefly and scowling.  It was nice to have a partner that Chloé couldn’t easily bully, but at this point, Marinette was happy to just not have to deal with Chloé at all.

“Actually…” Marinette continued, an idea starting to form in her head, “What if we make cats our topic for the project?  I’ve...actually taken a special interest in cats recently, so...if we have to do this ourselves without Chloé, why don’t we have fun with it?”  She smiled hopefully at Felicienne.

Felicienne’s expression cleared somewhat as she looked back at Marinette.

“Really?” she asked.  “You...you want to?  I don’t mind brainstorming other topics…”

“No!”  Marinette chirped brightly, clapping her hands together.  “I’d love to research cats with you!”

Felicienne grinned.

“Okay!” she said.  “Awesome!  In that case…”  She reached into her bag and pulled out a white ballpoint pen with a cat-shaped topper on it.  “Let’s start filling these out!”

Marinette rummaged in her own back and pulled out the first writing utensil her fingers found--a pink and red mechanical pencil with most of the eraser still intact.  She pulled her answer sheet towards her and filled in her name, group number, and class across the top.

 _I wonder what Chat Noir would think, knowing I’m using a school project to learn more about him…_ Marinette thought, unable to keep a silly smile off her face.   _Hopefully, this isn’t considered cheating~!_

In the last ten minutes of their session, Marinette and Felicienne listed several possible subtopics about cats to consider for their project.  Although Marinette wanted to focus on feline behavior, she agreed with Felicienne that they needed to focus more on the material Mme. Goucher had covered in class, which hadn’t been very behavior-focused.

“If we put an emphasis on anatomy, we can talk about how cats can do all the amazing things they do,” Felicienne mused aloud, clicking her pen absentmindedly.  “We can use the textbook to kind of give us hints as to what Mme. Goucher will probably be expecting from us.”

“So, we could talk about what makes them such good hunters, maybe?” Marinette suggested, digging out her biology textbook.  She started searching the table of contents for the chapters she thought would be most useful and marking them down on her tablet.

“That sounds good!” Felicienne replied.  She brought out her phone to check the time.  “The bell’s about to ring.  Do you want to meet up later outside of school?  We can start looking for research material and making a plan for the project.”

“That’s probably a good idea…” Marinette said, starting to put her things away.  “Can I have your number?  I’ll text you as soon as I know when I’m free next.”   _And then pray Hawkmoth doesn’t strike again between now and then…_ she thought.

“Sure!  Here…”  Felicienne wrote her number on the corner of a page of her notebook and then tore it off and handed it to Marinette.  As Marinette entered the number into her contacts, the bell rang to signal the start of lunch period.

“Just in time!” Felicienne laughed.  She put her notebook and pen back inside her bag and stood up.  “Well, it was nice meeting you, Marinette!  Thanks for…”  She shot a pointed scowl in Chloé’s direction.  “...working with me!  See you later!”

“You’re welcome!  Thank you!”  Marinette exchanged a friendly wave with Felicienne as she left, leaving Marinette alone with Chloé, who likewise was standing up to leave now that she was free to go.

“Finally!” Chloé sniffed.  “I’m getting _out_ of this stuffy library!  And away from your lowly company!” she added, sneering at Marinette.  Without even waiting for a response, she turned and strode off, throwing a careless wave over her shoulder.  “Enjoy your journey back through _collége_ -level biology!”

“Yeah, thanks for nothing, Miss Prissy!” Marinette shot after her.  “Enjoy your free lazy-time while you can!”

Several voices shushed Marinette from all around for raising her voice in the library; Marinette was quick to leave after that, sheepishly scuttling away like she was fleeing the scene of a crime.

 ~

She still had cats on the brain as she walked home for lunch.  She sent Alya a quick text letting her know she would love to meet up after school to share their experiences with their respective groups in the library.  In the meantime, however, Marinette really wanted to spend some time researching feline behavior on the internet...and not necessarily for the science project.

 _I wonder if I can predict what other changes Chat Noir will experience by researching the behaviors of cats trying to attract mates…_ Marinette thought.   _Maybe it can help me come up with ideas for how I can help him feel better somehow...or at least give me a better idea of what to expect.  I guess I could just as easily ask Tikki for more information, but...a new perspective could help me figure out what I want to know more about!  At least I’ll be doing_ something _to feel more prepared!  Otherwise, I’m just stuck waiting to see how bad our symptoms will get..._

Now that she was no longer distracted by school work and social interactions, Marinette was starting to feel the subtle but permeating ache for affection spreading through her again.  She found herself tempted to just crawl into bed first thing and tend to her body’s cravings…

 _I guess there’s no harm in taking some time to rub one out before I go back to class…_ she thought, blushing slightly.   _Maybe if I have time left over, I can still do some research...or--Oh!--I can read my journal entry from when Chat Noir confessed to me!  I forgot I wanted to do that!_

 ~

Marinette couldn’t help but eat her lunch somewhat in a rush; she had a lot of things she wanted to do!  After brushing her teeth, she hurried upstairs to her room and grabbed her journal out of her lock box.  Tikki came out of her purse to see what she was up to.

“Oh, your diary!”  Tikki smiled.  “Of course:  Today has been quite the eventful day so far, hasn’t it?  I wish I could have watched everything that was happening between you and Adrien; it sounded interesting from your tones of voice!”  She giggled.

Marinette blushed, but she smiled back at Tikki.  

“‘Interesting…’ That doesn’t even _begin_ to describe it!” Marinette sighed, staring at the ceiling for a moment.  “I definitely want to record it all before bed later tonight, but…”  She glanced bashfully at Tikki, who now hovered over her.  “I...actually wanted to just reread my entry from the day Chat Noir...confessed to me.”  Sitting up straighter, she started searching for the right page.  “I could also...really use some private me-time to blow off some steam,” she admitted.

“Aw!  Has Chat Noir been on your mind since this morning, too?” Tikki asked, pressing her paws together happily.

“Not while I was with _Adrien,_ he wasn’t!” Marinette laughed, blushing.  “But I did figure out that our science project is going to be a good opportunity to research cats and their biology, which means I might be able to get a better idea of what will be happening to Chat Noir!”

“So you _have_ been thinking about him a lot!” Tikki teased.

Marinette pouted, a little embarrassed of how easily Tikki could read her these days.

“Well…!”  She buried her face in her book and continued flipping through it.  “It’s hard _not_ too, when _so much_ has happened between us…”

“Obviously!” Tikki said cheerfully.  “Well, I’ll leave you to it, then!  Try not to lose track of time, though!”

Tikki whizzed up towards Marinette’s bed up above to give her more privacy.  

After a couple more page-turns, she found the entry she was looking for:  Wednesday, September 3rd.

 _Huh!  That’s exactly one week ago…_ Marinette thought.   _In some ways, it feels like it’s been so much longer than that...I hope I took the time to go into as much detail as possible when I wrote this!_

Marinette could remember taking a very long time to write the entry because coming up with the right words to describe what had happened and how she had felt at that time had been quite the struggle:  she had never had a boy tell her he loved her before, let alone a boy she had lots of deep feelings for...

 

> _...he said I was the smartest, bravest, most amazing girl he knew (at least, I’m pretty sure that’s what he said…?), and that he’s been in love with me since the day we met!  He said that getting to save Paris with me is always the best part of his day!  It made me feel so warm and glowy and fluffy inside to hear him say all that...if you had told me a year ago or even a_ _month_ _ago that Chat Noir would confess to me like that, so sincerely...I would have assumed you meant that he was just going to turn the flirting up to 11 and sing me a cheesy love song or something!  I had never stopped to think until that moment that Chat Noir’s feelings for me might go so much deeper than just a little crush...that he might not just flirt and brag and show off because he wanted my attention, but because he was actually in love with me!_

It warmed her heart all over again reading her thoughts of Chat Noir, and she smiled to herself, remembering the warmth in his voice, the way he had looked at her, and how nervous he had been to tell her just how deeply his feelings ran for her…

She read on excitedly, knowing what happened next...

 

> _...he brought his hand up to my cheek,_ _so slowly_ _and_ _so gently_ _, it was like he was afraid I might disappear if he moved too fast, or like he’d break the spell we were in if he startled me...and he wrapped his arm around me, just as slowly and gently, to pull me just a little closer...and then…it was_ _so slow_ _but somehow it felt like like the most natural thing in the world, ~~to just lean in and~~ l ~~et our eyes close and~~ _~~_press our_~~ ~~_let our_~~ ~~_just let_~~ ~~_trust instinct_~~ _..._

Here, Marinette could see several segments of crossed-out and scribbled-out words as she had agonized over how to finish the sentence.  She had ended up letting the sentence trail off and started a fresh paragraph to make it easier on herself.

 

> _I think the kiss lasted maybe three or four seconds?  I have no idea if I’m remembering it right...it sounds so over-romantic when you read it in stories, but it_ _really did_ _feel like time stopped!  You read about how kissing makes you feel like you’re floating on a cloud, but it kind of_ _did_ _!  I don’t know how else to describe it…!  But his lips were really warm, and really soft, and he was so gentle, I don’t think our heads moved at all, not like the way they kiss in movies...but it felt so_ _sweet_ _that way…Does that even make sense?  I don’t know how else to describe it, and a part of me still almost can’t believe it_ _happened_ _, and I can hardly believe I’m_ _writing_ _this, but it was_ _really really really nice!!_

At this point, Marinette noticed her handwriting becoming messier and her sentences becoming run-ons as she had starting writing faster in a rush to pour all her thoughts out onto the page.

 

> _Actually, I’m pretty sure we actually kissed_ _twice_.   _At some point I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in and our noses got squished together for a second (why is that so cute?!) but we kissed again and I could_ _feel more of his lips against mine_ _and it felt more intense ‘cause we were pressing our lips together_ _harder_ _and I felt a shiver go up my spine and it felt like my_ _whole body was blushing_ _and he wrapped both of his arms around my waist and pulled me closer and THEN!_ ~~(a few more scribbled-out words)~~ _He_ _moaned a little against my lips_ _and oh my god it was like my body temperature suddenly shot up ten degrees and my heart did this huge throb but in a really really_ _good_ _way!!  He was seriously just letting himself_ _drown_ _in the moment and it was all so_ _~~amazing~~ i ~~ncredible~~ ~~unbelievable~~ ~~unreal~~ ~~glorious~~_

(Several scribbled-out words here were no doubt the result of Marinette trying to find the right adjectives with which to describe the experience.)

 

> _\--miraculous!_

 

Marinette sighed aloud, letting her diary rest on on her chest as she stared dreamily up at the ceiling.  She brought up a hand to press the back of it to her lips as she replayed yet again the now-precious memory of her kiss with Chat Noir…

 _To think...it used to just be Adrien that I daydreamed about kissing…_ she mused.   _And now, look at me, daydreaming about kissing Chat Noir…and I’ve only just starting falling in love with him…_

 _But, then, that means he’s probably been daydreaming about me for about a_ year _now, ever since he fell in love with_ me _!  Because everybody daydreams about the person they’re in love with, right?  I’ve been daydreaming about_ Adrien _ever since I fell in love with_ him _, and I’ve been_ fantasizing _about him for almost just as long, because I find him absolutely_ gorgeous _, obviously, and now, Chat Noir...!  Well, I’d have to be_ blind _not to notice how gorgeous_ he _is, too, so...!  Okay, yeah, I confess:  Chat Noir is sexy, too!  I mean, that catsuit of his...definitely does_ not _leave much to the imagination...and_ my _costume is just as skin-tight as his, so...if Chat Noir can’t help but ogle me a little bit and fantasize about me, I guess I can’t blame him.  And if I know anything about what a girl’s most popular eye-candy features are..._

Struck with curiosity, Marinette sat up and closed her diary, bringing it to her desk to lock it up again before she turned to face her full-length mirror.  She pulled her shirt up over her head and tossed it gently over the back of her swivel chair, and then undid her shorts and let them drop to the floor, where she stepped out of them and pushed them aside with one foot.  

 _Then...Chat Noir would definitely catch himself admiring my...let’s say, “assets”, once in a while, at least, and he would...fantasize about me, right?!  Imagine..._ doing things _to me, me doing things to him...!  And seeing me naked, too...!_

If any of these thoughts had occurred to Marinette even a _week_ ago, she would have felt _endlessly_ more embarrassed, but now...well, it was still a little strange, and embarrassing, but it was also intriguing, somehow...a whole new light to see Chat Noir in, and not a bad light either...quite the contrary, Marinette found it quite flattering.  How could she _not_?  Chat Noir thought she was sexy!

Still curious and intrigued with this new train of thought, Marinette removed her undergarments as well, dropping them carelessly aside.  She turned a little to one side, then the other, looking herself up and down at different angles and trying to imagine admiring her figure from a certain boy’s point-of-view...

Marinette’s last growth spurt had largely run its course by the time she turned fourteen last year, and so her figure remained virtually unchanged since then:  somewhere between hourglass- and pear-shaped; slender but athletic; and fairly petite overall.  Her curves were modest, but her breasts were pert and round, and her butt just toned enough to balance them out.  All in all, she thought puberty had been very kind to her (extreme clumsiness aside), and if anybody took notice of this, it was probably Chat Noir.

 _If Chat Noir was only attracted to me for my looks, then I probably_ would _have caught him ogling me a lot...But Chat Noir’s not shallow like that; he appreciates me for my intelligence and personality, too, and that’s probably why he doesn’t constantly stare all rudely at my boobs or my butt or whatever.  Now that we both feel (I think?) the same way about each other, though...I can’t help but feel really excited to see more evidence of those feelings of his in person...to see him look at me with raw adoration and love in his eyes, or_ desire _and_ longing _...!  Or to feel him_ touch _me more, like the way he held me while we kissed, and_ other _ways I haven’t experienced before..._

Marinette shivered a little as she imagined Chat Noir wrapping his arms around her from behind, gathering her into a warm and loving embrace.  She imagine just barely feeling his breath against the side of her neck and felt a familiar throb low in her belly and between her thighs.  She could feel the wetness just starting to gather between the folds of her sex, and the muscles of her core fluttered and squeezed around nothing and she squeezed her eyes shut and wished again that Chat Noir were there to feed warmth and affection to her starving flesh.

 _I guess all I can do for now is warm myself up..._ she thought wistfully.  She glanced up at her bed and immediately felt drawn to the promised warmth and softness it offered; the next best thing to the sanctuary of Chat Noir’s loving arms.  It felt like being away from him for too long was making her feel cold and lethargic, like a dormouse ready to hibernate.

Still naked, she climbed up to her bed and burrowed under the covers, tucking herself in before burying one hand between her thighs and cupping a breast in the other.  As she massaged her left breast and stroked the nipple there in tiny circles with her thumb, she opened her legs wide under the covers and massaged the folds of her sex, spreading them and exposing her wet pussy to the open air.  She whimpered as the muscles of her core throbbed with want, bringing her left hand away from her breast to reach down and gently pull her clitoral hood back with her fingers.  She swiped the middle finger of her right hand through the wetness gathering around her opening, and began tracing tiny circles over her clit as fast as she could, racing for the orgasm she _desperately_ craved.  Her shallow, uneven pants were soon punctuated with thin, broken moans and whimpers, and she found herself instinctively rocking and rolling her hips.

Even as she wound up tighter and tighter inside, even as the dam burst and sent waves of pleasure rushing through her every nerve, squeezing a thin whine out of her, her body _still_ craved something more...she groaned in frustration.  The only other thing she could think to try was to slide a finger into herself and feel for her g-spot.  She let out a moan of satisfaction when she found it.

 _Mmmm...  Oh, that feels so good...!  I guess this is how having sex is supposed to feel good…?  It probably still takes practice...but I wonder if...doing it with Chat Noir could feel like this...?  Or even better, maybe?  Oh my god, I can’t believe I’m_ thinking _about him like this...!  But I wonder if...no, he probably does!  Chat Noir probably fantasizes about having sex with me, too...!_

Knowing full-well how long Chat Noir had been in love with her, Marinette recognized the common-sense logic in this conclusion, and yet, at the same time (as seemed to be the case with all of her Chat-Noir-centered realizations lately), the thought felt emotionally like an incredible revelation, and a rather wonderful one at that.  

Marinette whimpered again as she slid a second finger inside and thrust them in and out of herself faster and faster, and she could feel a strange, new feeling of heat and pressure building up deep inside her.  The throbs of pleasure spreading through her were _wonderful_ , and she squirmed in anticipation of what could lead to an _amazing_ climax.  She brought a hand back up to cover her mouth as she failed to completely stifle the soft cries now escaping her.

When she came, she came _hard_ :  she let out a drawn-out groan of nearly-overwhelming pleasure as she felt warm juices trickle out as she slid her fingers out of herself.  She whimpered and fought to catch her breath as she came down from her high, squeezing her thighs together and gasping for breath.  Finally, she rolled over onto her side and wrapped her arms around her pillow.  To her surprise...and slight concern...she felt a lump forming in her throat and her eyes prickling with tears not-yet-formed.  That orgasm had been _amazing_...why was she feeling emotional all of a sudden?

 _Emotional_ and _sleepy,_ she amended.   _My heat again, maybe...?_

“Tikki...what time is it?” she called softly.

She heard the soft _swish_ of Tikki taking to the air.

“Let me check your phone...” Tikki responded.  A pause, then:  “You’ve only got about five minutes before you’ll need to start heading back to campus.”

Marinette grumbled as she forced herself to sit up.  She wanted _so badly_ to stay in bed.

“Feel better?” Tikki asked, flying up to talk to Marinette face-to-face.

“I guess so...but I think I’m still craving cuddles...and I feel...moody?  Almost like I might start to cry or something...I don’t know why...  Is there some reason my heat’s the cause of it?”

“Not really, that’s just the rush of feel-good hormones from a good orgasm,” Tikki said, floating closer to give Marinette’s cheek a reassuring pat.  “Masturbating can’t quite replace the comfort Chat Noir’s touch would bring, I’m afraid.  You’ll just have to make do.”

“At least until I see him again...” Marinette murmured, half to herself.  She climbed down from her bed, silently marveling a little at how her leg muscles felt a little shaky.

“Well...”  Tikki sounded wary.  “Yes, but try to moderate your contact with each other.  We still don’t understand why your symptoms are progressing so rapidly, but whatever the reason, it would be best to be cautious.”

“Okay, Tikki, I’ll try...”  Even to herself, she didn’t sound particularly confident.  If she was being brutally honest with herself, she was actually reluctant to try to resist her feelings of attraction towards Chat Noir.  As sexually frustrating as it was to be constantly craving orgasms and cuddles, it just didn’t seem worth the struggle to try to minimize their already-infrequent contact in an attempt to slow the progression of their symptoms, because how much of a difference would it really make?  The way Tikki had expressed confusion and concern about how quickly her symptoms were progressing, it certainly didn’t seem to be working as well as expected.

 _As long as we continue to linger only in moderation, maybe it’ll be okay if we...kiss and stuff…_ she thought, pulling on a fresh pair of underwear (with a pantyliner in them, per Tikki’s suggestion).  _Ugh, listen to me rationalizing..._ She frowned, gathering up the rest of her clothes.   _There’s no reason to be in such a hurry to get all hot n’ heavy with Chat Noir...there’s more to a loving romantic relationship than just the sexy stuff!  But my heat just_ has _to make me all HORNY all the time...maybe we_ should _try to take things slowly...it’s the mature thing to do, and it would help us stay sane longer, theoretically...but, but…!  UGH, what is wrong with me?!_

Marinette finished getting dressed and slowly picked up her bag and purse.  Tikki dove into her purse as Marinette stood there, struggling to explain her own feelings to herself.

 _Is this normal?_ she wondered.   _Is this what everybody feels like when they just start to get...intimate with their boyfriends or girlfriends?  Uh, not that Chat Noir’s technically my boyfriend, but anyway...!  It’s weird...it doesn’t feel like I’m just excited and impatient to see him again because I want to make out with him and visit with him...it feels like I_ miss _him, like I haven’t seen him in a while and I’m lonely without his company and his touch...but it_ hasn’t _been that long, and I’ve never felt like this before.  It must be partly because of my heat...not entirely, but part of it.  At least I’m probably not the only one feeling this, right?  Chat Noir’s probably feeling a lot like this, too..._

Marinette finally smiled to herself...it was heartwarming to visualize Chat Noir missing her and waiting eagerly to see her.  Whatever ended up happening (or not happening) when they next saw each other, she would appreciate his company for its own sake.  She always did, even when it always took a supervillain to give them an excuse to meet.

“Okay...let’s head out, Tikki...”  She stifled a yawn and wondered if daydreaming would help her avoid falling asleep in class or not.

 _Whether I end up dozing off or spacing out hardly matters if I can’t pay attention to lecture either way,_ she thought, pouting.   _So why can’t I just skip the rest of the school day and stay home in bed if I want to?!_


	14. I Can't Wait To See You Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Alya hang out to discuss Part 2 of Operation: Seduce Adrien Agreste, a double-date to the aquatic center! Alya claims it's the perfect novel experience to help Adrien loosen up around Marinette, if she can let go of her nerves and have fun without passing out at the sight of Adrien in a swimsuit!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I consider this to be a mini-chapter, and plan to fuse it with the previous chapter once the next chapter after this is complete and posted. Yes, I'm making things more complicated for myself, but I want to continue having each new chapter equal a new day as often as possible to make it easier for me to keep track of events in the story. Plus, I wanted to give you all a little something to help tide you over until the next full chapter is ready!

Marinette was feeling too lazy to walk briskly on her way back to school, and so she was one of the last people back to enter the classroom.  She tried and failed to properly cover her fifth yawn as she walked right past Adrien, who was already seated, and didn’t even realize he was there until he spoke.

“H-hi Marinette!”  He greeted her with a shy wave, and she froze mid-stride on her way past his row.  She failed to register that his tone of voice was softer and slightly higher-pitched than usual because her brain was currently banging pots and pans because she had just YAWNED IN ADRIEN’S FACE!!! 

_ Oh god, WHY DIDN’T I JUST STAY HOME IN BED?!?! _

“Uh!  Hi!” she squeaked, going stiff and straight as a board and returning the wave with an awkwardly-raised hand.  “Hi! Adrien! Hi! How’re you?! I’m great! Nice to meet you! Wait, that doesn’t make any sense! Uh...! Um…!”

Adrien blinked, not sure how to reply.

“Uh...glad to hear it?”  He grinned nervously.

“Take your seat, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng,” the teacher said tonelessly, turning away from the blackboard to face the class.  “We have a lot to cover in today’s lecture, and I don’t want  _ anyone _ \--”

He raised his voice to address everyone in the room.

“--leaving their seats until I dismiss you, even when the bell rings.  Understand?”

Everyone murmured “Yes, Monsieur” as Marinette sat down next to Alya, blushing with embarrassment.

“Marinette, we  _ have _ to get together after school!” Alya hissed in Marinette’s ear.  “It’s time to begin Phase Two of Operation: Seduce Adrien Agreste and I know  _ just _ how we’re gonna turn up the heat!”

“Sure…” Marinette croaked.  “Just remind me again after the last bell rings.”

_Between Adrien and Chat Noir, my ovaries are going to explode before the month is out…_ she thought dully.   _And then it won’t even matter that I’m in heat now because I won’t be able to have_ any _babies_ ever! _Maybe Chat Noir would be happy just adopting a kitten or two..._ _Actually…_ Marinette mused, _that’s an interesting question...how_ would _Chat Noir feel about kids?  Or Adrien, for that matter? Well, either way, there’s NO WAY I’m asking EITHER of them about family-planning, because I would DIE OF EMBARRASSMENT, and I do NOT want to sound like a creep to Adrien!  And Chat Noir, well...whatever his reaction would be, it would probably be WAY too intense and dramatic! No need to give even more food for thought about me when I’m sure he’s got more than enough already!_

~

The rest of the day’s classes were  _ not _ fun at all, for a multitude of odd reasons:  Marinette continued to feel drowsy, which made concentrating on lecture nearly impossible when combined the difficulty she had thinking about  _ anything _ other than Adrien or Chat Noir.  The classroom felt chillier than usual, and for some reason, this seemed to make her drowsiness worse, though it might have had something to do with how badly she wanted to crawl into bed where it was nice and warm and comfy...and if she could have her way, she would have Chat Noir be there, curled up with her under the covers, purring contentedly as he held her close and just  _ touched _ her...all over...warming her aching and tired body and soothing her hungry skin…

Because she  _ was _ aching: she was aching for  _ him _ , for the relief that only his touch could provide.  She could give herself all the orgasms she wanted, pull the plug on the sexual tension that was now constantly rising in her, but just as Tikki had said, her own touch would never be quite enough.  It wasn’t just sexual pleasure and resolution her body craved; it was the loving touch of her partner, her other half.

She was so caught up in her thoughts and feelings that staying present in the real world took a good amount of effort.  It wasn’t often that Marinette wanted to hole herself up in her room alone rather than hang out with Alya, but she did her best not to let her mood show, and luckily for her, Alya was too excited to notice.

“Okay, so!  You wanna hang out at your place or mine?” Alya asked as they left campus together.

“Uh...your place?” Marinette suggested.   _ Maybe I won’t space out so much if I’m in someone else’s room, _ she thought.

“Actually, now that I think about it, we should go to your place if your parents are cool with it,” Alya said.  “If we’re gonna plan a date with Adrien for you, we need to have access to your wardrobe!”

_ Okay, scratch that plan... _

Once they arrived at Tom and Sabine’s Boulangerie, they went up to Marinette’s room armed with a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a pitcher of iced tea, courtesy of Marinette’s parents.  Marinette told Alya all about her meeting with Chloé and Felicienne. Between the snacks and refreshments and Alya’s company, she was already starting to feel better.

“Chloé pretty much made  _ sure _ Felicienne wouldn’t like her from the get-go, but at least Felicienne doesn’t seem like the kind of person Chloé can bully easily.  She and I will get along just fine, I think; the only problem is going to be getting Chloé to pull her own weight for the project. We chose the topic for our project without her, because we couldn’t get her to participate  _ at all _ .”  Marinette rolled her eyes as she grabbed a cookie for herself.

“I wish I could say I was surprised!” Alya sighed, shaking her head.  “What’s your topic?”

“Cats,” Marinette said after swallowing her mouthful of cookie crumbles.  “We’re thinking of showcasing their anatomy and how they can do all the cool things they do, like jumping and balancing and hunting and stuff.”

“Cool!”

“What about you?” Marinette asked, pouring herself a glass of iced tea.  “How was your group meeting?” 

“It was great!” Alya said excitedly.  “One of the girls in my group, Elise,  _ actually recognized me from my Ladyblog _ and said she was a huge fan!”

“That’s awesome!” Marinette said, ever the supportive and empathetic friend.

“I know, right?!” Alya gushed.  “And the other girl, Claire--Get this!--Her mom is a  _ sex ed teacher _ , and her dad is a professor of  _ evolutionary psychology _ !  We had such a blast talking about ‘human courtship behaviors’ that we decided to make that our topic!”  Alya giggled and took a swig of iced tea. “She cited Adrien as an example and pointed out all the ways he made for a highly-desirable mate, and it was hilarious listening to her explain how he was  _ scientifically  _ a 10/10-rated specimen!  I didn’t say anything about your crush on him, of course, but girl, if you wanted to recruit her, I bet she’d make a great wingwoman to join your support team!”

“While I  _ would _ love to meet them--both Claire and Elise--Claire needs to prove herself a good secret-keeper before I even  _ consider _ telling her about my love for Adrien!” Marinette proclaimed, crossing her arms and putting on an exaggerated frown of seriousness.

“I know, I know!” Alya said, laughing.

“Your topic does sound interesting, though!” Marinette added, giggling.  “Potentially hilarious, too! You’ll have to share the juiciest details of your research results!”

“Oh, you betcha!”  Alya gave Marinette a hearty wink and finger-gun.  “Oh, speaking of winging and human courtship…” Alya leaned forward with a crafty gleam in her eye and clapped her hands together gleefully.  “I think it’s time we moved on to Phase Two of Operation: Seduce Adrien Agreste!”

Marinette gulped.  She felt her heart flutter with nervous excitement.

“O-okay…”  She nodded, trying to look determined.  “W-what’re we gonna do?”

“ _ We _ are going to plan a date for you two!” Alya declared, jabbing a finger at Marinette’s face.  “At the aquatic center! It’s time you hit him full-force with the glory that Marinette Dupain-Cheng in a swimsuit!”

“Swimsuit?!” Marinette squeaked, her eyes bulging.

“Yes, Marinette, a swimsuit!  There’s  _ already _ a ridiculous amount of sexual tension between you two; that boy is as good as  _ yours  _ if you just give that him that last nudge he needs to make up his mind and decide that you’re the girl of his dreams!”

A giddy smile spread across Marinette’s face as she practically started vibrating with excitement where she sat.

“You really think that’ll work?  You think Adrien will finally fall head-over-heels in love with me when he sees me in a swimsuit?!”  It still sounded a little ridiculous, saying it out loud, but if it worked, who was she to complain?

Alya laughed and patted her on the head fondly.  “You silly goof, Adrien’s been falling in love with you ever since school started!  I still stand by my theory! And no, it won’t be just because of the swimsuit that he finally gives in to his attraction to you:  it’s because I think the aquatic center is just the place that will help you both finally loosen up around each other!” Alya leaned in conspiratorially and adjusted her glasses with a sly smile, looking like an evil scientist hatching her newest diabolical scheme for world domination.  “Go ahead and ask me why!”

“Why?” Marinette breathed, genuinely fascinated and curious.  “What makes the aquatic center so special?”

Alya allowed herself an evil chuckle before answering, milking the moment.

“Heh heh…I have insider’s information from Nino that Adrien…”  She looked Marinette dead in the eye and hissed, “... _ has never been to an aquatic center or water park ever! _ ”

Marinette’s mouth fell open.

“ _ Seriously? _ ” she whispered.  “That’s… Wow, that  _ does  _ makes this date kind of special...but how is it supposed to help him ‘loosen up’?  How is it supposed to help  _ me _ loosen up?  I know you and I had a great time when we went to the aquatic center during summer break, but…”

“Think about it from Adrien’s point of view,” Alya urged, sitting back and snatching another cookie.  “He’s going to look to  _ you _ to show him around, and so I’m thinking that your natural leadership abilities will kick in and your nervousness will melt away and you’ll find yourself having the time of your life, because  _ he’ll _ be having the time of of  _ his _ life enjoying this newfound paradise of wet and wild fun with you!  Just  _ try to imagine it! _ ”  Alya gestured grandly towards the heavens, still clutching the cookie in one hand.  “Adrien will be thinking, ‘Wow, so many fun things I’ve never had the chance to do before, I don’t even know where to start!’ and so he’ll look to you, and then…!”  She leaned in close and booped Marinette on the nose. “Then he’ll finally have the epiphany he needs to realize just how amazing you are and why he’s been falling for you all this time!”

“What epiphany?  How?” Marinette asked breathlessly.  She was bouncing in place now with barely-restrained anticipation.  “What do mean by, ‘amazing’? What will he see?! Alya,  _ tell me! _ ”

Alya pressed her lips together, looking pensive and determined.  Then she sighed and crammed the cookie into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

“Ah, I wish I knew how to put it into words…!” she growled.  She swallowed, appeared to think for a moment, then looked back up at Marinette.

“You know, Marinette, that being klutzy and having trouble stringing a sentence together in front of the boy you like doesn’t make you any less likeable, right?”

“What?”  Marinette blinked, taken aback at the change in topic.  “Y-yeah, of course! It’s no big deal most of the time! I just wish it didn’t seem to  _ always _ happen around Adrien!  Not that I’m afraid he’d dislike me for it, he’s not that shallow!  It’s just, you know, embarrassing, and it gets in the way of actually holding a conversation with him or asking him out or telling him I love him!”

“Right!  It’s not that you don’t want him to see those parts of your personality, you just wish you could show him  _ more _ than that, right?”

Marinette nodded emphatically. 

“So let me ask you this…” Alya continued.  “What parts of your personality would you  _ most  _ want him to get to know?  What is it about you that you think makes you amazing?  Don’t be modest, just ask yourself: say you’re starring as yourself in a movie inspired by your life story...what would it be about you that makes Adrien Agreste fall in love with you?” 

Satisfied with her monologue, Alya crossed her arms and waited, watching Marinette with a fond smile.

Marinette had a lot of qualities that she was proud of, and listing some of them wasn’t a difficult task, but she had never thought to ask herself this question in relation to Adrien before, and that made the fairly-ordinary question into one of momentous significance...so much so that she suddenly found it a little hard to breathe.

_ What is it about me that has Adrien falling in love with me...? _

“Well…” she began slowly, thinking.  “Is it fair to say I’m talented? I’ve worked really hard for a long time to get good at designing and sewing and arts and crafts in general…I make sure to always be ready to help people in need…I’m a good leader, and I’m a good listener...I always stand up for the people I care about, and for what’s right, and I don’t let people like Chloé keep me down…”

_ What about how Chat Noir sees you?  He fell in love with you the day he met you. _

The thought came to her suddenly and out of nowhere.  She almost chastised herself for thinking of another boy when she was supposed to planning a date with Adrien, but she cared a lot about what Chat Noir thought of her, and so she felt like it was worth thinking about:  How did Chat Noir fall for her so easily, so swiftly, and so wholeheartedly, that he only fell deeper with time?

_ Somehow, in the span of that single battle--well, two-part battle--against Stoneheart, I let some part of me show that just...stole his heart.  What was it…? _

“Bravery…?” she murmured aloud.  “I’m...brave. And…”

_ I figured out how to use my Lucky Charm pretty quickly… _ she thought.   _ Tikki says I’m a fast learner...And not everybody could have done that.  I mean, it’s a good thing I  _ could _ , or that would’ve been the end of a  _ very short _ run as a superhero...but I did. _

“I’m...smart?  Am I clever?” She glanced up at Alya, who nodded proudly.

_ And when Hawk Moth’s frickin’  _ face  _ appeared out of all those akumas and threatened me and Chat Noir and the whole city of Paris...I pretty much just threw it in his face, didn’t I?  I slingshot myself all the way up there and caught every single butterfly before I even landed on my feet again...and when I promised for both Chat Noir and myself that we would protect Paris from that day forward, everybody cheered...I don’t want to toot my own horn and say it was like something out of a superhero movie, but...we  _ are _ superheroes, and from where he was standing...Chat Noir must’ve had quite the view of all that… _

_ What would be the word for that feeling, though?  What adjective would he have used to describe how I looked then? _

“I’m...kinda stuck on finding the right words…” she said, smiling modestly at Alya.  “Have any ideas?”

“Hmm…”  Alya tapped her chin thoughtfully.  “I’d say...you’re a really warm and sweet person; you care about other people, you’re fun to hang out with, you’re generous, and loyal, and everything  _ you _ said, too!  All of our friends from  _ collége _ would agree with me, and I  _ know _ Adrien has noticed, too!

“So...what does all of this mean?” Marinette whispered.  “You’re saying all that’ll show more if I let myself just have fun with Adrien at the aquatic center?”

“Ex-act-ly!” Alya said smugly.  “Think you’re up for it?”

“I’d have to be crazy to turn down any excuse to go out with Adrien!” Marinette giggled.  “But what about you? And Nino? You won’t be coming?”

“We could, if you’d like us to!” Alya replied cheerfully.  “I’d hate for us to distract you to from the mission objective, but maybe it would help you both feel more relaxed?”

“I think it’ll feel weird, at least at first, if I’m the only there besides Adrien, even if it  _ is _ a date…” Marinette hedged.  “Let’s make it a double-date, and let Adrien and me...ease into it?”

“Sounds good to me!” Alya cheered, jumping to her feet.  “Okay, let’s see that swimsuit of yours!”

Marinette got to her feet and rifled through her closet until she found what she was looking for; she pulled it out and held it up for Alya’s approval, grinning. 

It was a one-piece swimsuit colored white with a simple pattern of pink blossoms and edged with a double-row of pink ruffles trimmed with dark grey along the neckline and low around the hips to form a micro-mini skirt.  The dark grey spaghetti straps tied into a halter behind the neck and the wide neckline dipped down  _ just  _ low enough in the center to be flirty without being too on-the-nose.  More importantly, it was cute and frilly without being too childish, and 100% Marinette-style.

“I bet now you’re glad you went to the trouble of making it after all, huh?” Alya remarked, crossing her arms and smirking.  

Marinette giggled bashfully.  It was the first piece of swimwear she had ever made herself, and she was very proud of the result.  She had worked on it painstakingly over the whole of March, wearing it proudly on the many occasions she and Alya had gone to the aquatic center with other friends from their class at  _ collége _ .  They had hoped that Adrien would join them, but Adrien’s busy schedule managed to keep him tied up every single time, and Marinette had been  _ thoroughly _ put-out.

“Oh, you  _ bet _ I am!” Marinette gushed, wiggling excitedly.  “I spent all summer daydreaming about Adrien getting to see me wear it, and now it’s finally happening, on a double-date with him!!  But, oh god...I don’t know if I’ll survive seeing  _ him _ !”  Marinette dropped the swimsuit and clutched her face between her hands. “Seeing him in those swimwear ads is one thing, but seeing him  _ in the flesh?!   _ Either I’ll end up ogling him like some perverted fangirl and make him feel uncomfortable, or I’ll just straight-up pass out and drown in one of the pools!” She swayed slightly as if the thought alone made her feel faint. 

“Okay, number one: Adrien is a  _ model _ , so I’m sure he’s used to being stared at,” Alya stated, holding up a finger.  “Two…” She held up a second finger. “If he’s oblivious enough to not already realize how hot for him you are, there’s no way he’d notice you ogling him, unless you started staring at his crotch and drooling or something, and three…”  She held up a third finger as Marinette groaned, “There’s no way the three of us would let you drown, though I bet I could convince Adrien to give you mouth-to-mouth if you needed it!”

“It  _ sounds  _ dreamy, but I think throwing up chlorinated water on him would probably ruin the mood,” Marinette said glumly, her entire posture sagging.

“I’ve got an idea!” Alya said, turning toward Marinette’s desk.  “Where  _ is _ that Gabriel swimwear ad?”

“It’s...on the wall up there by my bed…” Marinette said sheepishly, pointing.

“Ah-hah!”  Alya climbed up, carefully took it off the wall, and brought it back down.  “The last thing you see before you fall asleep, and the first thing you see waking up!  Probably makes for some  _ veeeerrrrry _ juicy fantasy fodder, too, I bet!”  She held up the two-page spread for Marinette to see, grinning.  “Have you searched the web to see if anyone’s made nude edits?”

“NO!”  Marinette looked horrified and disgusted.  “No amount of skill in Photoshop could do his naked form justice!”

“Riiiiiiiiiight....because you’ve  _ obviously _ seen Adrien Agreste’s dick in person already,” Alya deadpanned, still wearing a shit-eating grin that would make Chat Noir very proud.

“NO!!”  Marinette went scarlet, but stuck her nose in the air.  “I mean that no matter how good someone is in Photoshop, they couldn’t possibly make Adrien look even sexier just by editing some pornstar’s magnum dong onto him!  Gross!!”

“I know, I’m just messing with you!” Alya cackled.  “Best to leave a little bit to the imagination anyway, right?”

“Right!  Exactly!”  Marinette nodded smugly.

“Anyway, here’s what I think we need to do,” Alya said, holding the ad up to Marinette’s eye-level again.  “We gotta desensitize you! Just keep looking at these until you feel like the real thing won’t make you ogle!  And also, remember you won’t be the only one admiring: when  _ Adrien _ sees  _ you _ in that swimsuit, he’s gonna go weak at the knees!  And he doesn’t even have the benefit of having seen pictures of you showing off that much skin before!”  Alya leaned in and gave Marinette a cheeky wink. “If anyone’s gonna get caught ogling, it’s gonna be Adrien!”

Marinette clutched at her heart and heaved a dreamy sigh at the thought.

“Wow~!  If that happened...I don’t even know what I’d do~!” she gushed breathlessly.

“And if Adrien caught  _ you _ ogling  _ him _ that way, he’ll be flattered, too!”  Marinette took the proffered spread. “Trust me, there’s gonna be so much sexual tension, one of you will  _ have _ to make a move before you both lose your freaking  _ minds! _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments along the lines of, "When's the next chapter coming?" will be met with sass and/or sarcasm, because a) I'm not being paid to produce this story, so I am not required to meet any deadlines; b) I have a life, with responsibilities and other hobbies, and my priorities are MY priorities; and c) I don't want carpal tunnel syndrome or tennis wrist/elbow symptoms to slow me down again. Instead, tell about things you liked about a chapter/the story, and why you like it, etc. Nice comments are encouraging and occasionally inspiring!

**Author's Note:**

> At the time I published this story, season 2 hadn't started to air yet, and though we've started to see episodes come out since then, I want to avoid introducing certain head-canons about major future plot developments, as that would likely result in contradicting important details that might be revealed in episodes to come (an example of this would be exactly what happened to Adrien's mother or what happened immediately following the events of "Volpina".). I don't want to end up having to retcon too many important details of my story because I couldn't stand to leave the inconsistencies, but I might fix some little tidbits here and there if the edit doesn't force me to alter plot events.  
> For example, it turns out Marinette was only 13 at the beginning of the school year, and turns 14 in an episode of season 2, so I've edited this story's beginning notes to reflect this.


End file.
